Intellectual Property Law

Anti-RIAA Site Folds

By David Kravets

Provocative website p2pnet.net, the online voice of one of the world’s most blistering and perpetual attacks on the Recording Industry Association of America, is shuttering amid financial doldrums. It’s been vocal for nine years.

“I can’t claim p2pnet has been protecting the world, but I’ve done my best to unspin some of the vested interest corporate spin, and expose a few of the lies and corruption,” the site’s voice and founder Jon Newton said in his “last post” Wednesday.

The Vancouver Island, British Columbia, huckster is looking for donations or even a partnership in hopes of reviving the site that has become infamous for its mocking portrayal of the RIAA, which consists of Vivendi Universal, Sony BMG, EMI and Warner Music.

While Newton mocked the Motion Picture Association of America, the site is best remembered for referring to the RIAA as the “Big 4 Organized Music Cartel,” the “Multi-Billion-Dollar Big 4 Record Companies,” “Hate Organizations,” the “U.S. Spin Organization” and the “Curiously Named Recording Industry Association of America.”

Under the umbrella of the RIAA, the group the past six years has launched tens of thousands of lawsuits against file sharing individuals. Most settled out of court for a few thousand dollars while the two who went to trial were ordered to pay $1.92 million and $675,000. Just last week, a judge reduced the $1.92 million figure to $54,000 for sharing 24 songs on Kazaa.

“They hate anything which interfered with what they see as their God-given right to control how, and by whom, music is distributed online,” Newton wrote in a recent blog post. “They even hate the people who keep them in drugs and booze and who pay their bills.”

See Also:

• Jury in RIAA Trial Slaps $2 Million Fine on Jammie Thomas
• $675000 RIAA File Sharing Verdict Is ‘Unreasonable’
• Judge Refuses to Punish Lawyer for Anti-RIAA Blogging
• Obama Taps 5th RIAA Lawyer to Justice Dept.
• Top Internet Providers Cool to RIAA 3-Strikes Plan
• Judge Finalizes $675000 RIAA Piracy Verdict, Won’t Gag Defendant …
• Judge Sides With RIAA in ‘Sham’ Litigation Class Action

Full post as published by Threat Level on February 02, 2010 (boomark / email).