You know that the RIAA–the umbrella organization representing major companies in the recording industry (a.k.a. “the MAFIAA,” for some)–is getting absurd when it would rather have students drop out of college to be able to fund their settlements. Here’s an interesting personal account from an MIT student accused of copyright infringement. When she was trying to negotiate with the RIAA rep to lower the settlement amount, the latter was actually suggesting–albeit implicitly–that she could drop out of school just to afford paying the settlement fees.
She launched into her spiel about how the RIAA doesn’t negotiate settlements. I told her that it was too much to ask for thousands of dollars from a college student who only makes just enough from term and summer employment to still come out a couple thousand in debt … Bowie [the RIAA rep] replied that the RIAA was oh-so-kind enough to offer a six month repayment plan … [and] they do make allowances if something like a medical emergency comes up.
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But as much as I tried to argue that I was in as unique a situation as someone with medical expenses, there was no getting through. Bowie even had the audacity to say, “In fact, the RIAA has been known to suggest that students drop out of college or go to community college in order to be able to afford settlements.”
Yes, there are copyright laws we should follow, and piracy is bad. But in cases like these, the RIAA’s actions border on being bullying tactics.
