RIAA Goes After Satellite Radio

nicholasjay writes "The RIAA is at it again. Now they don't like satellite radio. From the article 'The record industry ... believes the recording capability [of satellite radio receivers] is a clear copyright violation and could take revenue away from paid download music services.' This comes on the heels of both Sirius and XM announcing mp3 enabled players and the ability to record music heard on the radio. Also from the article: 'RIAA may seek $1 billion plus in music rights fees for a new contract covering 2007 to 2012 to replace the current $80 million pact that expires in 2006.'"

Silly RIAA...

[zwilliams07]

Instead of going for the little pups, go for the big dogs. Go sue Energy providers! Yeah! Cause you know, we couldn't pirate music if it weren't for electricity powering computers and other electronic equipment. Yeah, that show them!

BS!

[Kranfer]

I can record radio on my Computer, Radio in my car, Boom Box radio etc. Is their goal to encrypt all radio transmissions? Serius and XM radio are pay for subscriptions. WTF?

When are they going to sue my birds for listening to music all day? The birds could start mocking the music exactly!

"Your birds are singing these copywritten songs... We are suing them. They need to appear in court on these days!"

the RIAA is starting to overstep its bounds.

STOP

[CSHARP123]

I have stopped listening to music altogether. I have acquired a new skill of singing. My wife and children have not sued me yet.

One day...

[Anonymous Coward]

One day they will sue themselves... and they will implode.
Hail that day.

Late to the game

[Bastian]

I think the RIAA has missed the train. If they wanted to stop this, they should have started way back when electronics started including tape recorders with their home stereo equipment.

Re:STOP

[the eric conspiracy]

In related news the Patent Office has awarded Patent # 6,234,113 which claims "Use of human vocal cords as transducers for the production of musical works" to the RIAA.

I suggest someone patent

[g0bshiTe]

2 business models

The first being the practice of suing based on made up figures claiming lost revenues from technology similar to what's been around for years.

The second would be the business model of essentially spam lawsuits, whereby your business would supeana tons of people naming them as defendants in a lawsuit claiming false copyright violation and hoping they settle out of court.

You could then charge the RIAA and MPAA lisencing fees.

Modest Proposal

[rlp]

Here's a suggestion for the RIAA - replace all current music distribution channels with the following:

When you wish to listen to music, you proceed to an RIAA sponsored Listening Center that will be located in most major cities. You wait in a convenient line and then purchase a ticket specfiying which music selections you wich to listen to. After a brief detour through a metal detector and s search for recording devices by courteous staff (former mob enforcers), you proceed to an individual soundproof listening chamber. In the chamber, you are permitted to listen to each musical selection one time. Afterwards, you're free to leave provided you sign a legal document stating that you will not hum or sing any of the songs you've just heard.

Re:The beginning of the end

[Lucractius]

Judge Julie:
This is Case No. 47g, Everyone vs. Everyone. [gavels, and all fall quiet] Representing the side of Everyone is Gerald Broflovski.

Gerald:
Thank you, your honor. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, Everyone has committed a crime here, and Everyone must pay for that crime. My client, Everyone, has been hurt by this crime and must be compensated.

Re:No kidding?

[shawn(at)fsu]

Your PC "buffers" the stream. RIAA made a case saying the buffering is a recording and therefore they need to be paid.

Does that mean you have to pay more when uses RealPlayer? /ducks

Re:No kidding?

[Mysticalfruit]

I guess we're just going to have to ban FTL drives.

Re:No kidding?

[jedidiah]

The whole "analog vs. digital" thing is completely and utterly IRRELEVANT. A performance is a performance: period. There is already an appropriate governing body that hands out appropriate licenses under these conditons and RIAA aint it. They should be pimp slapped by the first judge that sees these shenanigans.

          This BS is bogus even by the industry's own self-serving definitions.

Close . . .

[Rob the Bold]

In fact, all these royalties RIAA has demanded from satellite radio . . .[a]re completely new previously unheard of royalties. And it's all based on "caching".

I think the actual term for RIAA's practice is "cashing".

They'll be after me next...

[Bohnanza]

I heard a catchy song on the radio this morning and now it's stuck in my head!

Re:No kidding?

[Ced_Ex]

I'd add that the signal is recorded in the EM waves that spread outwards from Earth.

Geez... I guess now the RIAA can extract lost revenue from aliens as well. Have they no limits to their insanity?!?!

How long before...

[Anonymous Coward]

'The record industry ... believes the recording capability [of human brain] is a clear copyright violation and could take revenue away from paid download music services.'

... everyone would be required to listen music only thru (DRMed) headphones that give short-time-memory erasing electroconvulsive shock to the listener when session is over (or attempt is made to remove them from one's head).

I, Criminal!

[EddyPearson]

I'm a criminal. i've been running from the law for years, and now i make my final stand! I was young and foolish! i didn't know that when my friend left the country and gave me his CDs i was breaking the law. But now, after years of running, i shall hide no more!

My heinous crime will be made public and I shall face what is coming too me. I can never take back what i did that fateful day! Why oh why did i ever get into music! I knew it would be my downfall, but my young mind was corrupt by the evils of this world!

God have mercy on my soul.

Re:No kidding?

[Anonymous Coward]

This just in! Remembering a song you hear and then resinging it in the shower is a form of recording and is therefore a violation of copyright. If you wife hears you singing and gets the song stuck in her head, you're looking at serious fines and potential jailtime. Best not to ever listen to any music ever again. Its the only way to avoid the wrath of RIAA.

You know..

[ECramer]

I'm starting to think these RIAA people aren't very nice.

Well, let's follow the reasoning through to...

[Hosiah]

"RIAA sues God for creating air"

Since everybody knows that sound waves are transmitted through the air, that means that music can travel through this unsecured medium to be heard by many life forms, some larger than microscopic, which did not monetarily reimburse the music-producing entity. God was quoted as defending air: "All my land-dwelling living creatures need air to breathe! Isn't that 'fair use'?", but the RIAA responds, "He could have come up with creatures who didn't need to breathe."

RIAA: "I can file that suit in one note!"

[HTH NE1]

The RIAA thinks they have a right here because...

The RIAA thinks it owns the patent, copyright, and trademark on all music throughout the universe in perpetuity. They'd sue for the damnation of every harp plucker on the other side of the pearly gates if they could.

Psst.

[Kaenneth]

Psst, SCO, I hear the RIAA is running Linux servers to spam P2P music networks, and not paying you license fees.

Psst, RIAA, I hear SCO is licensing Linux servers capable of sharing music files, and not paying you license fees.

Re:No kidding?

[kimvette]

Not to mention the capacitors, especially in the stereo processor your FM receiver has.

Want to know something that is even more insidious? Your brain is an information storage device - and unlicensed one at that. Who knows, tomorrow you may end up with an earworm of "toxic" or "oops I did it again" (I refuse to capitalize those titles :-p) going through your head 50 times tomorrow, and for each performance of that recording, RIAA member labels will not be compensated. Oh the horror! In the near future you will have to have to pay long-term memory licensing fees based on your IQ, because part of your IQ score is figured by testing your memory. There will also be licensing fees for your short-term memory, but if you're a potsmoker with little to no short term memory left, the requirement for you to pay the short-term memory RIAA licensing fee will be either prorated or waived depending on how chronic you are.

Think of the poor starving manufactured pop artists who can only afford two Gulfstream jets and one yacht!