2006-12-26 Record Companies Gone Bonkers

Shame on you if you bought a single CD from Sony BMG, EMI, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, Arista Records, or Capitol Records. Unfortunately, that includes me.

US Music Publishers Sue AllofMP3 for $1.65 Trillion.

US Music Publishers Sue AllofMP3 for $1.65 Trillion

Via JanneJalkanen. I agree with his closing statement: “Yeah. Merry Christmas. Fuckers.”

JanneJalkanen

Yeah. Merry Christmas. Fuckers.

I guess it was to be expected after this one:

British Record Industry Sues AllofMP3.

British Record Industry Sues AllofMP3

The difference being that the US legal system is totally fucked as well. United States copyright law says “Statutory damages range from $750 per work to $150,000 per work”. And I guess it’s true: “In a case where the copyright owner sustains the burden of proving, and the court finds, that infringement was committed willfully, the court in its discretion may increase the award of statutory damages to a sum of not more than $150,000.” – Copyright Law of the United States of America, § 504 c 2

United States copyright law

§ 504 c 2

And so the music industry is trying to grab 150k per infringing track. And we’re paying them to do it, in a roundabout way. Shame on us.

Copyright grants a monopoly. Where have the checks and balances gone that are supposed to go with them?

​#Copyright ​#USA ​#Britain