Campaign Against Music Piracy Goes to First Trial

Melissa Lee votes for strict file-sharing law, tweets about listening to mixtape

(NEWSER) - This week's installment of "lawmakers ignoring their own laws" comes to you from New Zealand, which recently passed one of the world's strictest file-sharing laws. Melissa Lee voted for the "three-strikes" law, which says people can be fined up to $15,000 and lose Internet access if they are merely suspected of having illegally shared files. Opponents of the law were quick to point out that less than 24 hours before Lee made a speech supporting it, she tweeted about listening to a music compilation a friend had made for her, Gamma Squad notes. More»

The copyright arguments aren't going to stop until the day music dies

(NEWSER) - The music industry wants royalties for the 30-second previews on iTunes—which is "bullshit," writes Nicholas DeLeon for TechGear. It's yet another foolish move in the battle to save the music industry, complains DeLeon. Luckily, he has a "foolproof" way to do just that: Ban music, "shut the whole damn industry down," send iPods to the bottom of the sea, and outlaw whistling. More»

(NEWSER) - One of the men convicted in the Pirate Bay file-sharing case is demanding a retrial, claiming that the judge is in cahoots with copyright-protection organizations, the Local of Sweden reports. Judge Tomas Norstrom acknowledges being a member of such groups but denies any conflict of interest. Last week, he found four men guilty of making copyrighted files available for downloading on their website. More»

Campus prefers education campaign to punishment

(NEWSER) - Northwestern University has a way to decrease peer-to-peer sharing of copyrighted files: send students emails. The system, called Be Aware You’re Uploading, delivers email notifications to active p2p users on the network, Ars Technica reports. BAYU has a successful track record of reducing p2p usage and copyright violations. It’s not a real punishment, but BAYU works by informing users oblivious to illegal uploading. More»

Says industry has never prosecuted anyone for ripping CDs for personal use

(NEWSER) - RIAA chief Cary Sherman says the recording industry has never prosecuted anyone for ripping or copying CDs for personal use, Engadget reports. Sherman appeared on NPR and characterized media reports about a recent high-profile suit as inaccurate. The legal action, he said, is against a man who ripped CDs not just for himself but to give others access as well through file sharing. More»