Lots of RIAA lawsuits, little success?

[Then again, perhaps file-swapping would have been far _more popular_ 
were the lawsuits never filed? --Declan]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: EFF: File-Sharing Lawsuits Fail to Deter P2P Downloaders
Date: Thu, 03 Nov 2005 07:01:16 -0800

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release

For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 03, 2005

Contact:

Cindy Cohn
    Legal Director
    Electronic Frontier Foundation
    cindy@eff.org
    +1 415 436-9333 x108 (office), +1 415 307-2148 (cell)

Fred von Lohmann
    Senior Intellectual Property Attorney
    Electronic Frontier Foundation
    fred@eff.org
    +1 415 436-9333 x123 (office), +1 415 215-6087 (cell)

File-Sharing Lawsuits Fail to Deter P2P Downloaders

RIAA v. The People: Two Years Later

Chicago - It's been two years since the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA) started suing music fans who
share songs online.  Thousands of Americans have been hit
by lawsuits, but both peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing and
the litigation continue unabated.

In a report released Thursday, "RIAA v. The People: Two
Years Later," the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
argues that the lawsuits are singling out only a select few
fans for retribution, and many of them can't afford either
to settle the case or defend themselves.  EFF's report
cites the case of a single mother in Minnesota who faces
$500,000 in penalties for her daughter's alleged
downloading, as well as the case of a disabled veteran who
was targeted for downloading songs she already owned.

"Out of the millions of people who download music from P2P
systems every day, the RIAA arbitrarily picks a few hundred
to sue every month," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Fred
von Lohmann.  "Many of those families suffer severe
financial hardship.  But despite all the publicity, studies
show that P2P usage is increasing instead of decreasing."

"RIAA v. The People" was released in conjunction with the
first annual P2P Litigation Summit in Chicago on Thursday,
which brings together defense attorneys, clients,
advocates, and academics to discuss the latest developments
in the lawsuits.

Three other reports released Thursday were aimed at helping
lawyers representing music fans sued by the RIAA.
"Typical Claims and Counter Claims in Peer to Peer
Litigation" is a general discussion of the lawsuits, while
"Parental Liability for Copyright Infringement by Minor
Children" and "Copyright Judgments in Personal Bankruptcy"
both tackle important issues arising in defending families
from devastating judgments.

"After two years of lawsuits, there's only one conclusion
to draw," said von Lohmann.  "Suing music fans is no answer
to the P2P dilemma."

For "RIAA v. The People: Two Years Later":
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/RIAAatTWO_FINAL.pdf

For "Typical Claims and Counter Claims in Peer to Peer
Litigation:
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/RIAA_v_ThePeople/P2P_witkin.pdf

For "Parental Liability for Copyright Infringement":
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/Parent_Liability_Nov_2005.pdf

For "Copyright Judgments in Personal Bankruptcy":
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/RIAA_v_ThePeople/P2P_bktcy_memo.pdf

For more on the P2P Litigation Summit:
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/p2p_litigation_summit.php

For this release:
http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2005_11.php#004116

About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil
liberties organization working to protect rights in the
digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and
challenges industry and government to support free
expression and privacy online. EFF is a member-supported
organization and maintains one of the most linked-to
websites in the world at http://www.eff.org/


      -end-

_______________________________________________
Posted by Declan McCullagh on Nov 03, 2005 in category intellectual-property