Music piracy release group members found not guilty by jury

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Mar 2010 12:01 User comments (5)

Rabid Neurosis (RNS), the once popular music release group was taken down last year by authorities working on tips from the RIAA.

A few of the most prominent members were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement.

This week, Matthew Chow of RNS has been found not guilty by a jury. Additionally, Adil Cassim of the group has been found not guilty as well.

"I am relieved by the jury's verdict and I am grateful to my attorney for his hard work," says Chow. Adds his lawyer: "We encountered some extremely complex factual and legal issues in this case. The jury was very attentive during the trial. Their verdict was just."

The three other RNS members that were charged had already plead guilty and gave testimony for the prosecution.

Chow and Cassim were facing up to five years in prison and a $250,000 USD fine.

<Nintendo announces '3DS' handheld >Microsoft starts selling standalone 250GB HDD for Xbox 360

5 user comments

123.3.2010 13:30

Pop_Smith

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

Finally some justice. Too bad the other three members decided to plead guilty as the whole crew could have been found not guilty.

Honestly, releasing music should not be a crime. The music industry just needs to adapt to a model were it distributes CD-quality (i.e. FLAC) music for prices similar to iTunes without DRM.

I'd buy music if it was CD-quality (again, in a format like FLAC) without DRM.

223.3.2010 13:58

DVDBack23

Send private message to this user

Staff Member

Originally posted by Pop_Smith:
Finally some justice. Too bad the other three members decided to plead guilty as the whole crew could have been found not guilty.

Honestly, releasing music should not be a crime. The music industry just needs to adapt to a model were it distributes CD-quality (i.e. FLAC) music for prices similar to iTunes without DRM.

I'd buy music if it was CD-quality (again, in a format like FLAC) without DRM.

Pop, can you imagine if in, let's say 2002, the music industry said "Hey, let's release 128kbps MP3 files for $.50 a song with no DRM, and make it easy too (like Amazon MP3, iTunes, etc)" They could have curbed piracy right then and there.

After 10 years of almost daily piracy, you are going to be very hard pressed to find someone from "Gen Y" willing to pay $1.29 for a song. Now if they had offered it for cheaper, almost a decade ago...

323.3.2010 15:38

beanos66

Send private message to this user

Member

Quote:
The three other RNS members that were charged had already plead guilty and gave testimony for the prosecution.

made me chuckle

everybody else keep shtum

423.3.2010 17:54

HUNCHBAK

Send private message to this user

Newbie

I would like to personally send a big "you got exactly what you deserved" to the other 3 members of the group. Not because I believe music and movie piracy is a bad thing...no they got what they deserved for snitching their fellow members out and giving testimony for the prosecution. See if they had kept their mouths shut they could be sending the bird to the RIAA and "The Authorities" that went after them. BEWARE HORRIBLE PUN AHEAD!!! Now the only BIRDS in their future are themselves...JAILBIRDS!!!
Sorry I warned you there was to be a shameless pun/joke ahead.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 23 Mar 2010 @ 5:55

528.3.2010 03:13

DJ Blur

Unverified new user

read from some other site: “Matt was probably among the lowest (of RNS participants), but he was indicted because he was one of the ones they could identify. He did not do anything to spoof or hide his name, so they were able to locate him down here in Texas.”

How did he get off though, if he was obviously involved.. maybe they just couldn't prove it entirely.

Comments have been disabled for this article.

	Google has a new domain: G.AI (08 Jan 2026 5:58) Google has acquired a completely new web address, G.AI. The domain redirects straight to Google Search's AI Mode tab.
	Roborock unveils robot vacuum that climbs stairs - and cleans them at the same time (06 Jan 2026 12:31) Roborock Saros Rover is a robot vacuum introduced by Roborock in January 2026 that is capable of climbing stairs. 1 user comment
	Asus to quit smartphone business - at least for now (04 Jan 2026 7:54) Taiwanese company Asus has announced that it will not be launching any new smartphone models in 2026.
	Maker of Roombas, iRobot, sold to China (15 Dec 2025 4:18) Struggling American robot vacuum manufacturer iRobot has been sold to China under pre-arranged Chapter 11 deal.
	Pebble Index 01 smart ring: Disposable, does not track health (09 Dec 2025 2:09) The legendary smartwatch brand Pebble is expanding into smart rings with the new Pebble Index 01 ring. The ring does not track the wearer's health but instead functions as an audio recorder.

Music piracy release group members found not guilty by jury

5 user comments

Latest news

Reviews

Guides

News archive

Subscribe

Sections:

Follow us:

	Review: Roborock Saros Z70 - robot vacuum with an arm In out in-depth review of Roborock Saros Z70 we put the robot vacuum through a 3 month test period, where we observed its work in normal home. The sci-fi -like arm of Z70 was a little bit disappointing, due its limited functionality.
	Roborock Saros 10 review - Great, but not perfect We tested Roborock Saros 10 robot vacuum for more than two months in order to see whether it is really worth its hefty price tag. The mopping, self-emptying Saros 10 was mostly great, even perfect. But its object avoidance was bit disappointing. 1 user comment
	Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra review - obstacle avoidance doesn't work as it should, otherwise almost perfect robot vacuum We put the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra through a very, very long review process. The $1800 mopping robot vacuum is almost perfect, but its obstacle avoidance was surprisingly bad, considering the price - and compared to its competitors.

	Does your phone rattle? Here's why it happens When you shake your phone and hear a light rattle, clatter, or jingle, it's likely not broken. The culprit is probably the optical image stabilization (OIS) system in your phone's camera, meaning everything is functioning as it should. 2 user comments
	Guide: Is Your Wi-Fi Sluggish or Slow? Here's How to Fix Do you have problems with you Wi-Fi? Slow connection or is it cutting off constantly? This guide aims to remedy these problems. 1 user comment