Free or not, seems to me there should be a period where the owners of the sites (Kazza and Winmx and others) would have to notify the users that sharing is illegal. Not just make up a law and then arrest the masses.
BTW , I don't feel that paying for the opportunity to download music makes it any more legal than a free site. The money collected doesn't go to the artists. It goes to the owners of the site. Why not just take the sites off the Net if it is illegal and don't mess with the users. No site = no users. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Steven Johnson Sent: Monday, July 21, 2003 12:30 PM To: Pat Smoot; RollTideFan-The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Subject: Re: [RollTideFan] Music Downloads <non-bama, duh> It is free, at least I haven't paid for it. I believe it is up to the site to warn people that it might be illegal. Is there a disclaimer there? I haven't noticed one. RTR LC --- Pat Smoot <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > My daughter has been downloading from Kazza for a > couple of years now. It > isn't free so I don't see how they can hold anyone > accountable except for > Kazza since "your friend" is paying a fee for the > music. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Joel Perry" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "'BamaFanForever'" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "'RollTideFan'" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, July 21, 2003 8:01 AM > Subject: [RollTideFan] Music Downloads <non-bama, > duh> > > > > A 'friend' of mine sometimes downloads music from > sites like Kazza. My > > 'friend' is worried that he, I mean, she might get > arrested and forced to > > pay a HuGe fine. Does anyone have any comforting > words I could tell my > > 'friend'? > > > > Story: > > Music Industry Wins 871 Subpoenas Against Internet > Users > > Saturday, July 19, 2003 > > WASHINGTON - The music industry has won at least > 871 federal subpoenas > > against computer users suspected of illegally > sharing music files (search) > > on the Internet, with roughly 75 new subpoenas > being approved each day, > U.S. > > court officials said Friday. > > The effort represents early steps in the music > industry's contentious plan > > to file civil lawsuits aimed at crippling online > piracy. > > Subpoenas reviewed by The Associated Press show > the industry compelling > some > > of the largest Internet providers, such as Verizon > Communications Inc. and > > Comcast Cable Communications Inc., and some > universities to identify names > > and mailing addresses for users on their networks > known online by > nicknames > > such as "fox3j," "soccerdog33," "clover77" or > "indepunk74." > > The Recording Industry Association of America > (search) has said it expects > > to file at least several hundred lawsuits seeking > financial damages within > > the next eight weeks. U.S. copyright laws (search) > allow for damages of > $750 > > to $150,000 for each song offered illegally on a > person's computer, but > the > > RIAA has said it would be open to settlement > proposals from defendants. > > The campaign comes just weeks after U.S. appeals > court rulings requiring > > Internet providers to readily identify subscribers > suspected of illegally > > sharing music and movie files. The 1998 Digital > Millennium Copyright Act > > permits music companies to force Internet > providers to turn over the names > > of suspected music pirates upon subpoena from any > U.S. District Court > > clerk's office, without a judge's signature > required. > > In some cases, subpoenas cite as few as five songs > as "representative > > recordings" of music files available for > downloading from these users. The > > trade group for the largest music labels, the > Washington-based RIAA, > > previously indicated its lawyers would target > Internet users who offer > > substantial collections of MP3 song files but > declined to say how many > songs > > might qualify for a lawsuit. > > "We would have to look at historic trends, but > that is a very high > number," > > said Alan Davidson of the Center for Democracy and > Technology, a civil > > liberties group that has argued against the > subpoenas. "It doesn't sound > > like they're just going after a few big fish." > > Music fans are fighting back with technology, > using new software designed > > specifically to stymie monitoring of their online > activities by the major > > record labels. > > A new version of "Kazaa Lite," free software that > provides access to the > > service operated by Sharman Networks Ltd., can > prevent anyone from listing > > all music files on an individual's machine and > purports to block scans > from > > Internet addresses believed to be associated with > the RIAA. > > Many of the subpoenas reviewed by the AP > identified songs from the same > few > > artists, including Avril Lavigne, Snoop Dogg and > Michael Jackson. It was > > impossible to determine whether industry lawyers > were searching the > Internet > > specifically for songs by these artists or whether > they were commonly > > popular among the roughly 60 million users of > file-sharing services. > > The RIAA's subpoenas are so prolific that the U.S. > District Court in > > Washington, already suffering staff shortages, has > been forced to reassign > > employees from elsewhere in the clerk's office to > help process paperwork, > > said Angela Caesar-Mobley, the clerk's operations > manager. > > The RIAA declined to comment on the numbers of > subpoenas it issued. > > "We are identifying substantial infringers and > we're going to whatever > > entity is providing (Internet) service for that > potential infringer," said > > Matt Oppenheim, the group's senior vice president > of business and legal > > affairs. "From there we'll be in a position to > begin bringing lawsuits." > > A spokeswoman for the Administrative Office of the > U.S. Courts said the > > clerk's office here was "functioning more like a > clearing house, issuing > > subpoenas for all over the country." Any civil > lawsuits would likely be > > transferred to a different jurisdiction, > spokeswoman Karen Redmond said. > > Verizon, which has fought the RIAA over the > subpoenas with continued legal > > appeals, said it received at least 150 subpoenas > during the last two > weeks. > > There were no subpoenas on file sent to AOL Time > Warner Inc., the nation's > > largest Internet provider and also parent company > of Warner Music Group. > > Earthlink Inc., another of the largest Internet > providers, said it has > > received only three new subpoenas. > > Depaul University in Chicago was among the few > colleges that received such > > subpoenas; the RIAA asked Depaul on July 2 to > track down a user known as > > "anon39023" who was allegedly offering at least > eight songs. > > There was some evidence the threat of an expensive > lawsuit was > discouraging > > online music sharing. Nielsen NetRatings, which > monitors Internet usage, > > earlier this week reported a decline for traffic > on the Kazaa network of > one > > million users, with similarly large drops across > other services. > > > > > > > > > > > ______________________________________________________ > > RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics > Discussion List > > > > "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" > > > > To join or leave the list or to make changes to > your subscription visit > http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net > > > > > > ______________________________________________________ > RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics > Discussion List > > "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" > === message truncated === __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
