The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has sued close to 15,000 file sharers in the United States since the group started it's campaign against illegal file sharing in 2003. Not even 5,000 of these suits has been settled yet not one of them has ended up in an actual court case just yet. Among those sued are university students, kids, unaware parents, senior citizens and even a dead woman.
So as you can imagine, the RIAA doesn't really mind who gets sued, as long as the message is spread. However, the entire setup of these lawsuits is strange to say the least and the actual evidence has been doubted by many lawyers and experts as being enough to sustain a lawsuit. One woman, Tanya Andersen, has just counter-sued the RIAA for Oregon RICO violations, fraud, invasion of privacy, abuse of process, electronic trespass, violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, negligent misrepresentation, the tort of "outrage", and deceptive business practices.
Andersen, 42, a disabled mother, lives alone with her eight-year-old daughter. She is demanding a trial by jury, not willing to give into the lawsuit. Represented by Lory Lybeck of Lybeck Murphy in Oregon, Andersen decided she wasn’t going to be bullied into paying an extortionate charge to a blackmail center acting for the major record labels.
She is not the only person to stand up to the RIAA lately however, there are also others like Patricia Santangelo. She has refused to settle with the RIAA. "Don't let your fear of these massive companies allow you to deny your belief in your own innocence," she said. "Paying these settlements is an admission of guilt. If you're not guilty of violating the law, don't pay."
Sources:
p2pnet
tinfoil
Thanks Jon again for the email and thanks to tinfoil who later on also submitted the news using the News Submission form.
Andersen, 42, a disabled mother, lives alone with her eight-year-old daughter. She is demanding a trial by jury, not willing to give into the lawsuit. Represented by Lory Lybeck of Lybeck Murphy in Oregon, Andersen decided she wasn’t going to be bullied into paying an extortionate charge to a blackmail center acting for the major record labels.
She is not the only person to stand up to the RIAA lately however, there are also others like Patricia Santangelo. She has refused to settle with the RIAA. "Don't let your fear of these massive companies allow you to deny your belief in your own innocence," she said. "Paying these settlements is an admission of guilt. If you're not guilty of violating the law, don't pay."
Sources:
p2pnet
tinfoil
Thanks Jon again for the email and thanks to tinfoil who later on also submitted the news using the News Submission form.
