Riaa Continues With Prosecutions... Options

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RIAA continues with prosecutions of simple users

This time another 750 users are accused for use "unauthorized peer-to-peer services such as LimeWire and Kazaa".
The founder of Morpheus, Michael Weiss, said that many P2P applications are expected to disappear the next months,
till the end of this summer.

[mak]

RIAA challenges YouTube and GoogleVideo over video distribution

The recent trend of amateur dancers hamming it up to popular songs on video and then playing them for the world to see has piqued the interest of the RIAA. Obviously, most of these videos didn't secure proper clearances ahead of time, and that is starting to ruffle some feathers. Once again trouble is brewing between a technology, the old rules, and a market that moves quickly around an industry that moves slowly.

Until lately, videos were always seen as a promotional tool for the song, and therefore the industry didn't see sharing of videos as any sort of threat. The viral aspect of videos was encouraged to help promote the sales of the songs themselves. Recently, though, the videos have found value, mostly proven with Apple selling digital music videos at $1.99 as part of the larger move which also includes TV shows.

So when there is money to be made, you can bet the RIAA and their friends are there to challenge anyone who tries something new. Instead of embracing the opportunity, UMG (Universal Music Group) has pushed for "an agressive stance against amateur video using commerical songs."

Some YouTube users have reportedly received cease and desist letters from the RIAA, demanding that the posted video be taken down. YouTube, however, is confident in its copyright policy because it warns people about violation, and pulls material upon request of the copyright holder.

In the RIAA's defence, people are using copyrighted songs without permission. If the RIAA doesn't pursue it, they set a nasty precendent that will haunt every other case moving forward. This situation is just one more clear example of how radically different the music/entertainment industry has become, and those who used to hold control have let it slip way too far away to ever get it back.