[DMCA-Activists] EFF: File-Sharing Lawsuits Fail to Deter P2P Downloaders

[Seth Johnson]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: EFF: File-Sharing Lawsuits Fail to Deter P2P Downloaders
Date: Thu, 03 Nov 2005 07:01:16 -0800
From: EFF Press <address@hidden>
Reply-To: address@hidden
To: address@hidden

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release

For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 03, 2005

Contact:

Cindy Cohn
   Legal Director
   Electronic Frontier Foundation
   address@hidden
   +1 415 436-9333 x108 (office), +1 415 307-2148 (cell)

Fred von Lohmann
   Senior Intellectual Property Attorney
   Electronic Frontier Foundation
   address@hidden
   +1 415 436-9333 x123 (office), +1 415 215-6087 (cell)

File-Sharing Lawsuits Fail to Deter P2P Downloaders

RIAA v. The People: Two Years Later

Chicago - It's been two years since the Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA) started suing music fans who share
songs online.  Thousands of Americans have been hit by lawsuits,
but both peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing and the litigation
continue unabated.

In a report released Thursday, "RIAA v. The People: Two Years
Later," the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) argues that the
lawsuits are singling out only a select few fans for retribution,
and many of them can't afford either to settle the case or defend
themselves.  EFF's report cites the case of a single mother in
Minnesota who faces $500,000 in penalties for her daughter's
alleged downloading, as well as the case of a disabled veteran
who was targeted for downloading songs she already owned.

"Out of the millions of people who download music from P2P
systems every day, the RIAA arbitrarily picks a few hundred to
sue every month," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Fred von
Lohmann.  "Many of those families suffer severe financial
hardship.  But despite all the publicity, studies show that P2P
usage is increasing instead of decreasing."

"RIAA v. The People" was released in conjunction with the first
annual P2P Litigation Summit in Chicago on Thursday, which brings
together defense attorneys, clients, advocates, and academics to
discuss the latest developments in the lawsuits.

Three other reports released Thursday were aimed at helping
lawyers representing music fans sued by the RIAA. "Typical Claims
and Counter Claims in Peer to Peer Litigation" is a general
discussion of the lawsuits, while "Parental Liability for
Copyright Infringement by Minor Children" and "Copyright
Judgments in Personal Bankruptcy" both tackle important issues
arising in defending families from devastating judgments.

"After two years of lawsuits, there's only one conclusion to
draw," said von Lohmann.  "Suing music fans is no answer to the
P2P dilemma."

For "RIAA v. The People: Two Years Later":
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/RIAAatTWO_FINAL.pdf

For "Typical Claims and Counter Claims in Peer to Peer
Litigation:
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/RIAA_v_ThePeople/P2P_witkin.pdf

For "Parental Liability for Copyright Infringement":
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/Parent_Liability_Nov_2005.pdf

For "Copyright Judgments in Personal Bankruptcy":
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/RIAA_v_ThePeople/P2P_bktcy_memo.pdf

For more on the P2P Litigation Summit:
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/p2p_litigation_summit.php

For this release:
http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2005_11.php#004116

About EFF

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading civil liberties
organization working to protect rights in the digital world.
Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and challenges industry
and government to support free expression and privacy online. EFF
is a member-supported organization and maintains one of the most
linked-to websites in the world at http://www.eff.org/


     -end-

_______________________________________________
presslist mailing list
https://falcon.eff.org/mailman/listinfo/presslist