As reported as recently as today by Reuters and the Associated Press, the second round of lawsuits were filed in Federal Courts across this country. Two hundred sixty one lawsuits, according to reports. As you may have read, the RIAA attorneys have targeted grandparents, artists, children and the unemployed, amongst others, in an attempt to terrorize the general populace into halting their illegal music sharing practices.
Well, time to get real here. Music sharing is illegal. It is theft, plain and simple. No, I do not condone theft.
Then again, I don't condone the legalized robbery of my pocketbook by the music industry, either. When the profit on a CD clearly exceeds the cost of production by thousands of a percent, perhaps it is time to start looking real hard at the hand in our pockets. It's too late to correct this legal morass. Congress has given away the farm and are unlikely to undertake discussion of copyright laws any time before the 2004 elections. Hell, they won't cross the street without a favorable poll until then!
So consumers are left with only one significant method of changing the industry's ways. Hit them where it hurts. Buy no tapes, CD's nor DVD's between now and Valentine's Day, 2004. Let's all give the RIAA and their bosses something to contemplate as they look over the Profit & Losses for 2003 - how about an industry-wide loss of, oh, say, 200 billion dollars?
That'll get their attention. Tell 'em "Mom and Pop sent ya'!" And oh, yeah, "Don't Mess With Us -- Or Our Kids!"
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