The big record labels are getting brazen. Really brazen. Today marks the opening of the first trial between the RIAA and a person it says illegally downloaded music. The problem for the RIAA is this person, and by person I mean damned hero, has decided to fight back. The RIAA has acted like a bully in most cases it’s pursued so far, so it’s great to see someone taking a stand.
But what’s coming out of the trial is more important than the trial itself. In testimony before the court, Jennifer Pariser, the top litigator for the Sony-BMG Music Group, was asked if she thought the act of copying a song off a CD a consumer owns should be allowed, which is how most of us get our music onto our Zunes or iPods. Her answer is nothing short of astounding. She state, under oath, that “when an individual makes a copy of a song for himself, I suppose we can say he stole a song.”
There you go, sportsfans, you’re now all dirty little thieves. Every single one of you. So are your friends, colleagues, lovers, and probably your parents as well. At least according to Sony-BMG.
Sony BMG’s chief anti-piracy lawyer: “Copying” music you own is “stealing” [Ars]