MSNBC:
People’s Daily Online started the monkeyshines in China a couple of weeks ago, with a report claiming that the Afghan Taliban was using bananas and peanuts in an experiment to teach monkeys how to fire machine guns and mortar rounds at soldiers wearing U.S. military uniforms.
I know it’s fake, because she’s holding it wrong.
Recording Industry vs. the People:
The RIAA paid Holmes Roberts & Owen $9,364,901 in 2008, Jenner & Block more than $7,000,000, and Cravath Swain & Moore $1.25 million, to pursue its “copyright infringement” claims, in order to recover a mere $391,000. [ps there were many other law firms feeding at the trough too; these were just the ones listed among the top 5 independent contractors.]
Embarrassing.
Not really. From a corporate perspective, what choice do you think these executives had? Had they done nothing, they would be in breach of fiduciary trust—they’ve been pushing for these laws and now they have to enforce them. $17 million is chump change compared to losing their jobs and facing a shareholder lawsuit (especially given that it’s not their money).
The real tragedy here is not that the DMCA exists, but that the RIAA has made a major strategic mistake in utilizing it. If they only went after people who infringe copyright for profit, I don’t think anyone would have a problem with their legal actions. If you think that someone making a million illegal copies of a DVD and selling them is doing a good thing, you have some serious ethical issues.
But the RIAA chose to go after individuals, which is as pointless from a financial perspective as it is self-destructive from the point of view of public relations—and now it’s too late to truly change course and gain any public trust.
In man vs. helicopter, the cops win. (more…)