 |
It's been a few years now since the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) crushed music-sharing pioneer Napster in the courts, forcing the latter to go from 'Stick it to The Man' to being The Man. Of course, this high profile victory for the RIAA simply scattered the practice to other P2P sites like WinMX and LimeWire in the years since.
It's been reported recently that everyone's favorite grouchy, monolithic industry association is at it again. As it has done in the past, the RIAA is going after people that they feel are illegally downloading music. The efforts this time primarily target college students, although the RIAA is not averse to any particular demographic group (in the past, rogue 10-year old girl-pirates and disabled stroke victims have drawn their righteous ire).
All this is a reminder that downloading music without the rights to do so can cause you trouble. And it can bring to mind questions that Debonair is here to answer (Disclaimer: We're not lawyers or experts in the ways of file-sharing and its legalities, so be sure to do your own research if you are concerned about your status as a downloader.)
What is this letter I just got?
We don't know. We can't see it.
It's from a bunch of record companies, saying they are considering legal action or something. How serious is this?
Well, it's not good, but it's not the end of the world either. Generally, the first letter is a 'pre-litigation letter', usually giving the recipient an opportunity to settle before going to court. In this most recent RIAA threat-wave, 400 letters were sent out and 116 people have settled their cases at last count (for undisclosed amounts). If you have been illegally downloading, it might save you a lot of money and hassle in the long run if you settle--the decision is up to you.
