The difference between piracy and theft
dp | 04.02.2007 15:58 | Culture | Technology
CDs always only cost a few pence to produce, but until file-sharing became wide-spread they were always sold for £15 in the UK, $10 in the US. That hefty mark-up was the same for Sony BMG CDs, for EMI CDs, for Vivendi Universal CDs and for Warner Music CDs. No legal charges against this monopolistic, exploitative, price-fixing cartel were ever brought because governments protect business not citizens.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), (aka Sony BMG, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Warner Music), prosecuted a New York woman for piracy. She fought back and insisted on taking them in front of a jury. So they dropped charges against her and instead have went for her daughter and son who were 16 and 12 respectively at the time. Michelle is blaming the file-sharing company Kazaa for marketing that allowed her, with no computer knowledge, to think she could download freely. Bobby Santangelo is demanding trial by jury.
Bobby points out that Edgar Bronfman, chairman and CEO of the Warner Music Group, recently admitted that his own children 'stole' music but that he 'dealt with it within the family' by reprimanding them. That's a nice option compared to having your family bankrupted by a series of malicious lawsuits. The rich get richer only when the poor are cowed into submission. The Santangelo family, supported by the file-sharing community, prove if we take a stand, we can reverse the situation.
http://p2pnet.net/story/11178
If you can afford a small donation to Bobby's court costs, remember it could be your kid next time: http://www.p2pnet.net/goliath/
Bill Gates, another rich as sin scourge of pirates, recently met with the President of Romania to promote his latest over-priced product. The President told him "Piracy helped the young generation discover computers. It set off the development of the IT industry in Romania and helped Romanians improve their creative capacity in the IT industry, which has become famous around the world... ten years ago, it was an investment in Romania's friendship with Microsoft and with Bill Gates."
Gates said nothing - no MicroShaft lawyers have contacted the Romanian goverment.
Bobby points out that Edgar Bronfman, chairman and CEO of the Warner Music Group, recently admitted that his own children 'stole' music but that he 'dealt with it within the family' by reprimanding them. That's a nice option compared to having your family bankrupted by a series of malicious lawsuits. The rich get richer only when the poor are cowed into submission. The Santangelo family, supported by the file-sharing community, prove if we take a stand, we can reverse the situation.
http://p2pnet.net/story/11178 If you can afford a small donation to Bobby's court costs, remember it could be your kid next time:
http://www.p2pnet.net/goliath/ Bill Gates, another rich as sin scourge of pirates, recently met with the President of Romania to promote his latest over-priced product. The President told him "Piracy helped the young generation discover computers. It set off the development of the IT industry in Romania and helped Romanians improve their creative capacity in the IT industry, which has become famous around the world... ten years ago, it was an investment in Romania's friendship with Microsoft and with Bill Gates."
Gates said nothing - no MicroShaft lawyers have contacted the Romanian goverment.
dp
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