Source: http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com/2007/07/
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 22:17:45+00:00

Document:
In Atlantic v. Boggs, in Corpus Christi, Texas, where the defendant has interposed not just an affirmative defense challenging the constitutionality of the RIAA's $750-per-song file damages theory, but interposed a counterclaim to that effect as well, thus prompting the RIAA to move to dismiss the counterclaim, the United States Department of Justice has requested, and the Court has granted, an extension of time in which to consider intervening in the case to defend the theory.
The Department of Justice has been granted 60 days in which to intervene, if it so chooses.
The validity of the unconstitutionality argument was previously upheld by Judge David G. Trager in UMG v. Lindor where it had been interposed as a defense, rather than as a counterclaim.
In Elektra v. Santangelo II, following the Court's having vacated the default judgment taken by the RIAA against Michelle Santangelo, Ms. Santangelo has now filed her answer, counterclaiming for copyright misuse and breach of duty to warn.
The Knoxville News Sentinel now reports that after the RIAA filed a massive document containing more than 4200 irrelevant files included solely for the purpose of "shaming" the defendant into settling, it has now backtracked and made a motion to strike all but 367 of the original 4604 files.
The University is refusing to forward pre-litigation letters from the recording industry to it’s students on the grounds that doing so could be an invasion of student privacy.
Earlier this month, the Recording Industry Association of America sent 408 pre-litigation settlement letters to 23 universities. The University of Kansas will notify individual students by mail if it received a complaint connected to a student’s IP address. The University will not, however, forward students the RIAA pre-litigation letter, which gives them the opportunity to settle out of court.
Jenny Mehmedovic, coordinator for information and technology policy and planning, said under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the University has no obligation to forward the letters to students. It also will not release any identifying information without a court order or subpoena.
In the sixth wave of blackmail, the RIAA is targetting 23 universities nationwide with 408 ’settlement’ letters.
State University of New York at Morrisville, Georgia Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State University, University of Central Arkansas, University of Delaware, Northern Michigan University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, George Washington University, Ohio State University, New Mexico State University, Eckerd College, University of Minnesota, California State University - Monterey Bay, University of Kansas, University of Missouri - Rolla, University of San Francisco, Case Western Reserve University, Northern Arizona University, San Francisco State University, University of Tulsa, Franklin and Marshall College, Western Kentucky University, and Santa Clara University.
“Students on campuses throughout the United States, many of whom are experiencing their first year as members of university communities, are facing unprecedented legal intimidation at the hands of the recording industry,” says Ohio lawyer Joe Hazelbaker.
In fact, one university has advised its students that they could use the recording industry’s attorney as ‘an information source’ despite the obvious conflicts. This is true despite the fact that the colleges and universities enabled the network on which the alleged activity took place, knew that the alleged activity could take place, failed to educate incoming students regarding the issues, and neglected to use available technology to prevent the alleged activity.
Many of the students targeted were required to live in university housing because they were deemed not mature enough to live off-campus (ie, many campuses require first and second year students to live on-campus). Yet, they are now apparently mature enough to be left on their own to defend themselves against the recording industry.
These colleges and universities should be ashamed.
According to court papers filed by the RIAA in Elektra v. Santangelo II, the default judgment it had taken against Michelle Santangelo was vacated by the Court at the July 13th status conference. Recording Industry vs. The People has not yet seen an order embodying that ruling.
In the court papers, the RIAA seeks to be reimbursed for $513 in attorneys fees incurred in (a) procuring the default judgment, and (b) preparing for post-judgment enforcement.
The papers indicate that Richard L. Gabriel's hourly billing rate is $375.
Subsequent to the publication of this post, we obtained a copy of the Court's docket sheet entry recording the Court's vacatur of the default judgment.
Music-industry litigation tactics against suspected online music pirates face a challenge in Tennessee, with an Army sergeant arguing that record labels have engaged in a “conspiracy” to defraud courts and violate privacy rights.
In the response, Paternoster denies the allegations of copyright infringement and responds with a counterclaim charging that the record labels are abusing copyright law.
The labels, “ostensibly competitors in the recording industry, are a cartel acting together in violation of the antitrust laws and public policy,” allege Paternoster’s attorneys from the Nashville law firm Beam & Rogers.
The countersuit points out that although the recording industry singled out only six songs whose copyrights were infringed, the complaint includes screenshots of more than 4,600 files from Paternoster’s personal computer, including hundreds of apparently pornographic pictures and movies.
According to another document filed in the case, Paternoster was unaware that the Kazaa software was installed on his computer. While on a tour of duty in Germany from 2004 to 2005, the document says, another soldier downloaded the software and set up a Kazaa account under Paternoster’s name.
Last summer Paternoster discovered the software and “thousands of files downloaded on his computer by the soldiers he housed,” and he uninstalled the software and deleted the files, according to the document.
Kazaa and other file-sharing networks often make a computer’s files available for download by other network users, which allows the RIAA’s investigators to document instances of copyright infringement. The file-sharing option can be disabled, but many users never realize they are making their files available.
By including the full list of Paternoster’s files in the public record, the record labels invaded his privacy and are trying to “shame” him into accepting their demands, his attorneys argue.
“Such actions by the Counter-Defendants are a blatant misuse of their right to investigate potential copyright infringement and violate public policy,” the countersuit reads.
The attorneys list a host of other common complaints about recording industry tactics, including targeting dead, disabled and unknowledgeable people with lawsuits; relying on Internet Protocol addresses to identify defendants; making “extortionate threats” and seeking “exorbitant settlement amounts” through the RIAA; and invading defendants’ privacy by pursuing “John Doe” lawsuits and subpoenas without the individual’s knowledge.
In Elektra v. Santangelo II, the case against two of Patti Santangelo's children, a scheduling order has been entered calling for pretrial discovery to be concluded in January, 2008. The order also referred all discovery issues to Magistrate Judge Mark Fox. The order was silent as to whether the Court was vacating the default judgment taken against Michelle Santangelo, but the order, in a typed section, referred to "defendant" rather than "defendants".
In Capitol v. Foster, in Oklahoma, the Court has order the RIAA to pay the defendant Debbie Foster $68,685.23 in attorneys rees and costs.
This is the first attorneys fee award, of which we are aware, against the RIAA.
Ms. Foster was represented by Marilyn Barringer-Thomson of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
-Judge Denies RIAA "Reconsideration" Motion in Capitol v. Foster, Calls Plaintiffs' Counsel "Disingenuous", Motives "Questionable"
p2pnet news view | RIAA news:- The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) recently suffered another defeat in a bid to force an American university to hand over student identities.
On Recording Industry vs The People, “It’s not key to this decision, but I am disturbed by the assumption about IP numbers that appears to be accepted without question in a number of legal discussions, including this court decision,” posted University of Chicago professor Mike O’Donnell, quoting the section that bothered him.
In a North Carolina case, Capitol v. Frye, the RIAA accepted a formal "Offer of Judgment" of $300.
Some four years after first serving a subpoena on Verizon, the RIAA has served a new subpoena duces tecum (subpoena for documents) in UMG v. Lindor.
The documents being sought are listed on the third page, in Attachment A.
New Article by Harvard Professors Nesson and Palfrey Tells RIAA : "Take a Hike"
Editor's note: We would like to take a moment to thank Volker Briegleb of the first-rate German-language web site Heise Online, for bringing this item to our attention. Heise Online's coverage of the article is here. Recording Industry vs. The People is fortunate to have such friends.
The RIAA has moved to dismiss counterclaims which have been interposed in a Columbus, Georgia, case, Priority v. Beer.
The plaintiff record companies against whom the counterclaims are asserted are Priority Records, BMG, SONY BMG, and Interscope.
The attorney for the defendant is Michael Caldwell of the Atlanta, Georgia, firm, DeLong, Caldwell & Bridgers.
In a Westchester case, Warner v. Cassin, the defendant has made a motion to dismiss the RIAA's boilerplate complaint.
In UMG v. Lindor, the RIAA has moved to punish Ms. Lindor's nephew Gustave Lindor for contempt of court, for failing to appear at a scheduled deposition.
In an unusual joint letter submitted by plaintiffs and defendants in Elektra v. Santangelo II, the case against two of Patti Santangelo's children, it was indicated that Michelle Santangelo will be making a motion to vacate the default judgment that had been entered against her.
Morning Edition, July 6, 2007. Thousands of guitar students lost a valuable resource last week. The most popular guitar teacher on YouTube saw his more than 100 videos yanked from the site. The reason: a music company accused him of copyright infringement for an instructional video on how to play a Rolling Stones song.
An all-day evidentiary hearing was held in Capitol v. Foster, on Thursday, July 5th, in connection with the RIAA's challenge to the "reasonableness" of Debbie Foster's attorneys fees.
No indication was given as to how the Court would rule.
The Court had previously ruled that Ms. Foster is entitled to her reasonable attorneys fees, and adhered to that ruling in denying the RIAA's "reconsideration" motion.
More papers have been filed by the RIAA and by Ms. Lindor in UMG v. Lindor, as the RIAA continues to try to prevent discovery into the agreement among the record companies as to joint prosecution and settlement of th p2p litigations. The RIAA has opposed Ms. Lindor's motion to compel answers to her interrogatory and document request from March, 2006. On July 6th the RIAA filed an unusual "surreply" to Ms. Lindor's reply papers, to which Ms. Lindor's lawyer responded on July 9th.
violations she did not commit.
The "evidentiary hearing" on the reasonableness of the attorneys fees in Capitol v. Foster has been scheduled for Thursday, July 5th.
Judge Denies RIAA "Reconsideration" Motion in Capitol v. Foster, Calls Plaintiffs' Counsel "Disingenuous", Motives "Questionable"

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