Is the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) out of control?

RIAA Sues Homeless Man
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"In a Manhattan case, Warner v. Berry, the RIAA sued a man who lives in a homeless shelter, leaving a copy of the summons and complaint not at the homeless shelter, but at an apartment the man had occupied in better times, and had long since vacated. The RIAA's lawyers were threatened with sanctions by the Magistrate Judge in the case, for making misleading representations to the Court which the Magistrate felt were intentional. The District Judge, however, disagreed with imposing sanctions, giving the RIAA's lawyers 'as officers of the Court the benefit of the doubt,' and instead concluded — in his 6-page opinion (PDF) — that the RIAA's lawyers were just being 'sloppy' and had not made the misstatements for an improper purpose.'"

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RIAA spent $2.8 mil on lobbying in '07
Go to Hollywood Reporter original
The recording industry's trade group spent nearly $2.8 million pumping up the volume on its lobbying on Capitol Hill last year.

The Washington-based Recording Industry Association of America lobbied on a bill to limit fees charged to Internet radio stations for music broadcasts and on efforts to limit copyright violations, especially overseas.

The trade group spent $2.1 million lobbying in the second half of 2007, according to a form posted online Feb. 12 by the Senate's public records office. It spent $659,000on lobbying in the first half of the year.

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UK music industry calls for 'iPod tax'
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The British music industry seems determined to outdo its American counterparts when it comes to dumb and unworkable ideas, and is now proposing a tax on transferring music to mp3 players.

It may surprise you to learn that at the moment it is actually illegal to copy a CD to a PC, mp3 player, or any other media driven device. It’s one of those laws from a bygone age which in this digital age just doesn’t make sense any more.

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RIAA's Boston University Subpoena Quashed
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"As first reported by p2pnet, the motion to quash the RIAA's subpoena seeking identities of Boston University students has been granted, at least for the moment. In a 52-page opinion (pdf) the Judge concluded that she could not decide whether or not to quash until she had seen the college's 'Terms of Service Agreement' for internet service. It was only then she could decide what 'expectation of privacy' the students had. She quashed the subpoena calling for the student identities, and told them they could go ahead with a subpoena just for the terms of service agreement. Interestingly the decision was issued on the very same day as the judge in Elektra v. Barker came to some of the same conclusions."

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