Long-Shot Suit Charges RIAA With Extortion, Racketeering
It's probably not the first time that record company executives have been likened to Al Capone, but this time a judge might have to agree or disagree.A New Jersey woman, one of the hundreds of people sued for alleged music-swapping by the Recording Industry Association of America, has countersued the big record labels, charging them with extortion and violations of the federal anti-racketeering act.
Through her attorneys, Michele Scimeca contends that by suing file-swappers for copyright infringement, and then offering to settle instead of pursuing a case where liability could reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, the RIAA is violating the same laws that are more typically applied to gangsters and organized crime.
Good luck! Details here from CNET News.com.
Comments
Should probably note in the countersuit, if not already, how RIAA appears to extort parents for their children's acts when the parents are probably not liable under any legal theory and the kids probably have no assets or may have other clever defenses relating to being minors.
Would seem the combination of extracting wrongful settlements coupled with the issue of large statutory damages and small settlements makes a more compelling case.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 19, 2004 12:30 PM