The RIAA lawsuit engine is in FULL GEAR.

In another bold move to combat music piracy, the RIAA is now suing kids who make homemade music videos and post them to YouTube:

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Quote:

We already know that the entertainment industry loves to try to get people to pay for every possible use of their content. Remember the filmmaker who almost couldn't release his documentary because there was a four and a half second clip of The Simpsons playing in the background in one scene? It seems that with the rise of user-generated video, a lot more people are learning about the fun of licensing rights. The RIAA is apparently sending out cease-and-desist letters to YouTube users who dare to put up videos of things such as themselves dancing to music they haven't licensed. It's difficult to see how the RIAA can make a credible claim of "losses" in this case. Clearly, some kids videotaping themselves bopping along to some song aren't going to pay a license fee -- and these sorts of viral videos tend to help build up more interest in artists. So what good does it do to go after these videos?

Awesome, RIAA. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

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Do the artists themselves actually condone this sort of nonsense? There comes a time when you need to quit letting your lawyer speak for you and put your damn foot down.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I'm willing to guess that any artists who do disagree with the RIAA will be branded as "deviant" (or something of the sort) and totally ignored. After all, it is in their best interests, isn't it?

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Why did they crash into the WTC towers, why couldn't they hit the RIAA headquarters

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Hopefully the RIAA will sue themselves broke sometime soon.

I was speaking idiomatically.

God, that's a joke. The RIAA really need to get over themselves. I couldn't stop laughing whilst reading that. Shows how seriously they are taken by me at least

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Schadenfreude

I'm willing to guess that any artists who do disagree with the RIAA will be branded as "deviant" (or something of the sort) and totally ignored. After all, it is in their best interests, isn't it?

Or the ones who do disagree with them are not a part of the RIAA.

FELIPE NO

I'd think that most studios and artists would approve of incidental usage in these amateur videos. In the marketing industry, there's a maxim: "there's no such thing as bad publicity."

I fail to see where profits are being made from incidental footage on YouTube, since I'd estimate that 99.9% of contributors aren't making a dime from their efforts. Most studios and labels trip over their bureaucratic forms to see that their works are "donated" to non-profit use. Normally this implies charitable foundations but if people are making videos just for fun, then that's technically non-profit as well.

The moment any of them makes a taxable earning from their video, then the RIAA might have reason to ask for a fair consideration. But this is definitely on a case-by-case basis and not to be implemented as a blanket policy for all YouTube users.

I think this world fell into a downward spiral the moment the merchants and lawyers seized control.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

So the RIAA is going to get those "hardcore dancing" videos taken off the internet? Yay.

Otherwise, RIAA sucks. This new thing is totally useless.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I guess I better turn the music down whilst drivin' the Honda. Don't wanna share the music for people who haven't paid for it yet.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

God, the RIAA has it's head so far up it's ass that if it was a woman, it'd be feeling it's ovaries on it's nose. They're to the music scene what Anne Coulter is to politics. A joke.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Monkey King

Do the artists themselves actually condone this sort of nonsense? There comes a time when you need to quit letting your lawyer speak for you and put your damn foot down.

They have no rights. As part of their contract, their recordings became the property of the label, and therefore, of the RIAA. They have no right to interfere with the activities of the RIAA whatsoever.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

That's fucking fair use under copyrights. Reading that makes my blood pressure spike.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Goodbye creativity. RIAA doesn't want people to be creative it seems. "OH NOES! SOMEONE MADE A MUSIC VIDEO AND POSTED IT ON YOUTUBE! IT'S GOOD! SUE THEM!!!1111"

Makes me want to create a music video and post it on YouTube now.

Keep cleaning the gun, RIAA. There's an "accidental discharge" waiting to happen.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

About time they took action.
Pirate Video-ing, that's what I called it!
In my days we HANGED pirate video-ers on the town square, that's what we did!
You know what damage Pirate Video-ing does to such respected and established brands as Music Television? VH-1? Does that ring any bells?

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Crash Landon

I think this world fell into a downward spiral the moment the merchants and lawyers seized control.

Damn right.

Reminds me of that old hairdresser boutique down my street that had to close because of lawsuits about the music on the radio he had in his shop. <_<

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If this wasn't so depressingly sad it might be funny. I can only assume that having your brain surgically removed must be a job requirement for working at the RIAA.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I don't think this is aimed so much at videos where people are dancing to some music playing in the background; it's more likely aimed at skits and amateur movies which are becoming more common. I saw something on CNN yesterday about an Italian movie that was entirely filmed with a cellphone camera.

As much as I think the music industry shoots itself in the foot, they do have a point. While most of u-tube is low-grade crap, it's possible that the next big internet fad will originate there, something that'll propel the video and it's author to fame and fortune, partially on the back of a work owned by the RIAA. On the flip side, I can also see why they wouldn't want their music "product" associated with a crap video.

I see one positive thing coming out of this - maybe now we'll see fewer videos where the producer tries to be urban and hip by using gangsta rap as BGM.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Secret Squirrel

As much as I think the music industry shoots itself in the foot, they do have a point. While most of u-tube is low-grade crap, it's possible that the next big internet fad will originate there, something that'll propel the video and it's author to fame and fortune, partially on the back of a work owned by the RIAA. On the flip side, I can also see why they wouldn't want their music "product" associated with a crap video.

Come to think of it, you never heard Dragostea Din Tei (That annoying ass Numa Numa song) over here until that fat kid put up his stupid dancing video. Now it's playing during movie trailers and such.

Still, where exactly do they think these kids are gonna get the money to go to court or pay any fines, if need be? Most of these idiots are still in high school probably, and not everyone has rich parents.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Musharraf

Why did they crash into the WTC towers, why couldn't they hit the RIAA headquarters

Because that would have been an act of mercy?

What's next? Suing people for watching those videos? Where's that thread about the RIAA charging everyone for even thinking about music? That pretty much sums this up.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Ahahahahahahah. Oh WOW.

Since my digital camera can record audio+video, I think I'll make
a shitty video with incidental music, and carefully have it so that
the music is NOT affiliated with the RIAA, just to see what they will do.

As I see it, RIAA = Monopoly. After all, they have the word INDUSTRY in thier name, and INDUSTRYs are typically not to have monopolies in them. Can't wait to see how they would get around that one, given thier own sideways interpretation of law.

I was speaking idiomatically.

How long will it be before they import a Chinese Death Van to deal with the pirates?

Makes me wonder how long it will be before music is nothing but taboo.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

My prediction is that the RIAA is going to destroy itself. Maybe the MPAA too, but from what I've seen they're not as bad.

I wonder if it's only in recent history that capitalism gets out of control like this.

FELIPE NO

God, what the hell. If this keeps up, music lovers are gonna have to maintain a listener's lisence if they wanna listen to music. How much do you think the people down at the RIAA actually listen to music? It's probably drowned out by a recording of a cash register going off every second, cause that's all they care about.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

pathetic... how pathetic.

Bush's next campaign on terrorism should target the RIAA.

Jam it back in, in the dark.