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Comment Re:Euphemisms (Score 1) 222

by newtley (#22349980) Attached to: RIAA's Attack On NewYorkCountryLawyer Fails
I'm originally from London and that said, Ida fort OI, MATE! YOUR F***IN' FLIES ARE OPEN! woodabin even betah. Wish oida fort ov it. On second thoughts, though, it wouldn't have worked. Only one of the RIAA minions is male. So maybe you're correct ;p Cheers! Jon - p2pnet
Music

Submission + - RIAA victim Jammie Thomas needs a new lawyer 1

Submitted by
newtley
newtley writes: "Minnesota mother Jammie Thomas, the first RIAA victim to actually appear in court, is now urgently looking for a new lawyer to represent her in her appeal. She was ordered to pay close to $250,000 in damages after the RIAA alleged she'd infringed copyrighted music files. Now, "Sad news!" — says her blog. "Brian Toder and his law firm are only representing her for the remitter motion currently before the court and not for the appeal due to lack of funds. She confirmed that the donations collected here are still going into her legal defense fund and will be used to finance her appeal. She is now in search of a capable attorney ready to take the appeal either pro bono or for what is raised through fundraising efforts. If you can help, please contact Jammie by email: jammie [at] freejammie [dot] com." In the Bush administration's most blatant support of the commercial music industry yet, the US Department of Justice filed a brief defending the constitutionality of the $9,250-per-song-file jury verdict."
User Journal

Journal Journal: U. of Maine legal clinic fights RIAA; first in country

Journal by NewYorkCountryLawyer
"A student law clinic is about to cause a revolution" says p2pnet. For the first time in the history of the RIAA's ex parte litigation campaign against college students, a university law school's legal aid clinic has taken up the fight against the RIAA in defense of the university's college students. Student attorneys at the University of Maine School of Law's Cumberland Legal Aid Clin
The Courts

Submission + - RIAA "expert" Jacobson makes new accusatio

Submitted by
NewYorkCountryLawyer
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "Not content with his prior testimony and his previous reports, the RIAA's "expert", Dr. Doug Jacobson, has submitted a new, "supplemental" report, making new accusations against Ms. Lindor's son, in UMG v. Lindor. He makes no mention of what new development occurred to make him change his mind. The RIAA appears to have become emboldened in Brooklyn by recent rulings there in which the District Judge David G. Trager held that (a) Ms. Lindor's lawyers are not allowed to see MediaSentry's compensation and retainer agreements even though MediaSentry is plaintiffs' primary trial witness; (b) Dr. Jacobson can testify as an 'expert witness' at the trial even though he satisfied none of the Daubert reliability factors, and (c) he will continue to personally control all RIAA cases in the Eastern District of New York, rather than allow random judicial assignment by lot, which is the general rule in federal court. Upon learning of the ruling, one commentator stated that the RIAA has "been foisting supposed tech expert Doug Jacobson on courts hearing specious RIAA sue 'em all cases even though the voracity of Jacobson's evidence has been proven to be highly questionable"."
Music

Submission + - File sharing, stealing and Levi jeans (p2pnet.net)

Submitted by
newtley
newtley writes: "Using Levi jeans as his example, pro musician and RIAA devotee 'Sam I Am' attempts to explain how file sharing equals stealing. Downloading doesn't "actually share anything at all", he asserts. In fact, "Not only does the original file remain in full possession of the original possessor, but an infinite number of copies — perfect, indistinguishable replicas of the original, are created and distributed at no payment to anyone. This isn't sharing, in fact it's a crime." And more ....."
Privacy

Submission + - Sonic advertising - like it or not (p2pnet.net) 1

Submitted by
newtley
newtley writes: "Advertisers are determined to get into your head by one means or another, and Holosonic Research Labs has found yet another way of invading your privacy in the name of forcing you pay attention. You're walking down a street in New York when all of a sudden, 'Who's that?' — whispers a woman's voice. 'Who's There?' No. You weren't having a schizoid episode. You were being subjected to 'sound in a narrow beam, just like light' without your permission. It was coming at you from a rooftop speaker 7 stories up. Don't want to be bombarded by sonic ads? Tough. Wear ear-plugs."
Music

Submission + - Is Shawn Fanning's Snocap melting? 1

Submitted by newtley
newtley writes: Rumors are swirling about the pending demise of Napster creator Shawn Fanning's Snocap, says Michael Robertson, former MP3.com CEO who's now CEO of MP3tunes and founder and chairman of Linspire. "Articles mention a 'sale', but more likely it will be a shuttering and quiet bankruptcy," he believes. "Snocap represents a commonplace occurrence in the music business — an unprofitable retailer which withers and eventually dies."
Music

Submission + - Vanderbilt U spends $500K 'playing nice' with RIAA 1

Submitted by
newtley
newtley writes: "Vanderbilt University is great with robots, but not so good with the RIAA. Its Cindy Franks admits the school has so far spent half-a-million-dollars of taxpayer money trying to keep on the good side of the corporate music industry and its adherents. It's even touting Napster as part of the attempt. But all that money and effort notwithstanding, "Last year we had 20 students (sued) for the whole year," InsideVandy has her saying. ""This year we have had 32 students in October alone.""
The Courts

Submission + - RIAA targets 7 out of 8 Ivies, but avoids Harvard

Submitted by
NewYorkCountryLawyer
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes: "According to this report on p2pnet.net, the RIAA's latest anti-college round of "early settlement" letters targets 7 out of 8 Ivy League schools, but continues to give Harvard University a wide berth. This is perhaps the most astonishing display of cowardice exhibited to date by the multinational cartel of SONY BMG, Warner Bros. Records, EMI, and Vivendi/Universal (the "Big Four" record companies, which are rapidly become less "big"). The lesson which other colleges and universities should draw from this latest of many acts of cowardice: "All bullies are cowards. Appeasement of bullies doesn't work. Standing up to bullies and fighting back has a much higher success rate.""
Music

Submission + - You owe us $8M, Santangelos tell AOL, Kazaa (p2pnet.net)

Submitted by
newtley
newtley writes: "Michelle Santangelo and her brother Bobby, victims of the RIAA MI>sue 'em all campaign, say Sharman Networks and AOL together owe them almost $8 million, plus legal fees and expenses. The two recently asked for leave to serve a third party complaint against Kazaa owner Sharman Networks and Time Warner's AOL, as well as a former friend whom they say installed Kazaa software. The amended complaint (pdf) claims Sharman Networks, though not itself guilty of copyright infringement, "authorized" users of its Kazaa software to illegally share copyrighted music files. It also claims AOL, "entrapped and created a dangerous condition for the children, Defendants and Third-Party Plaintiffs herein, which became the source of the Plaintiffs claim in the form of alleged infringement.""
The Almighty Buck

Submission + - Jailed uploader forced to use Windows

Submitted by
newtley
newtley writes: "The US Department of Justice has taken on the role of marketeer for Microsoft. It's forcing Linux user Scott McCausland, aka sk0t, to use Windows while he's on probation after admitting he uploaded the Star Wars Episode III. In an interview, he tells p2pnet what is was like to be jailed. And, "when I hear that downloaders aren't as bad as uploaders I just chuckle," he says, "because what is the difference?""
Music

Submission + - RIAA vs Noor Alaujan, who's defending herself

Submitted by
newtley
newtley writes: "It's virtually unheard of for a judge to request an amicus brief. But in 2004 noted liberal activist judge Nancy Gertner did so in Capitol Records vs Noor Alaujan, with Harvard Law School's Berkman Center responding. Equally unusually, briefs were handed in by the Motion Picture Association of America and a group comprising musician and songwriters' societies. Now in the Alaujan case, judge Gertner has denied the RIAA demand for Summary Judgment, ruling it served notices to admit prematurely. "I've never had a situation like this before, where there are powerful plaintiffs and powerful lawyers on one side and then a whole slew of ordinary folks on the other side," said Gertner of other RIAA lawsuits at the time."
Music

Submission + - Michelle Santangelo demands a trial by jury

Submitted by
newtley
newtley writes: "Michelle Santangelo was proud of the stand her mother, Patti, was making against the RIAA. Now, the $35,000 default judgment against her out of the way, it's her turn and she's showing the same kind of grit and determination displayed by Patti, calling for a trial by jury. In Elektra v Santangelo II, she's filed papers opposing the RIAA's motion for attorneys fees; and, filed her answer, counterclaims, and jury demand."

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