On TV.com: 2009's Most PIRATED TV Show
BNET Business Network:
BNET
TechRepublic
ZDNet

By Jim Hu
Posted on ZDNet News: Dec 20, 2004 6:43:00 PM

As the holiday season approaches, some opponents of the movie and music industries' legal efforts are planning to celebrate in a Grinch-like fashion.

Downhill Battle, a file-sharing activist group from Worcester, Mass., has launched an Internet campaign to send lumps of coal to the Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America. The group said it will send a brick of unsightly coal for every $100 that people donate to digital rights defense groups Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Knowledge and IPac.

"It's a cute Christmas symbol for someone who's been bad all year," said Nicholas Reville, co-director of Downhill Battle. "I think it's appropriate for all types of things that the RIAA and the MPAA are doing."

A representative for the RIAA declined to comment on the campaign. A representative for the MPAA was not immediately available for comment.

Reville's campaign is a reaction to the raft of lawsuits that the industry groups have filed against suspected file swappers. Since last summer, the RIAA has sued more than 7,700 individuals, many of whom have settled the suits for thousands of dollars each. Hollywood has followed suit by targeting its own lawsuits against technologies and Web sites that promote unauthorized copying of its movies.

Just last week, the MPAA filed a copyright-infringement lawsuit against BitTorrent and eDonkey, two peer-to-peer technologies that allow speedy downloads of large digital files such as movies, video games and software.

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

  • Talkback
  • Most Recent of 44 Talkback(s)
RIAA License Suspended
RIAA is a sick Joke, that will never have to be again. I am CEO of The North American Phonograph Co., and we suspended RIAA's License to record sound. RIAA owes trillions in back license fees, and th... (Read the rest)
Posted by: TAE Posted on: 12/25/04 You are currently: a Guest | | Terms of Use
Message has been deleted.  Jeff Spicoli | 12/20/04
The laws of the republic...  amicus_curious | 12/20/04
Shucks Z..  Jeff Spicoli | 12/20/04
Yeah right  GMTobias | 12/20/04
Freedom of speech doesnt apply here.  vdraken | 12/21/04
Here's how to deal with the RIAA ...  worknman | 12/20/04
Won't do diddly  Jeff Spicoli | 12/20/04
You're missing the point ..  worknman | 12/20/04
No, you're missing the point  ExLax_in_the_BHind | 12/20/04
It doesn't work  voska | 12/20/04
Buy music, just not from the RIAA  tic swayback | 12/20/04
A $100 for a lump of coal?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 12/20/04
Did you comprehend what you read?  johngalt@... | 12/20/04
All I see is someone trying to cash in...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 12/20/04
Uh, you really aren't that dumb, are you?  tic swayback | 12/20/04
Judging by those prices, I'm not he dumb one.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 12/20/04
Perhaps you are  tic swayback | 12/20/04
Torrent takes a beating!!!  No_Ax_to_Grind | 12/20/04
Hmmm, wonder why ZDNet isn't carrying this story?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 12/20/04
Slow old man..  ExLax_in_the_BHind | 12/20/04
Hmmm, I see no headlines for this...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 12/20/04
Message has been deleted.  ExLax_in_the_BHind | 12/20/04
I wondered the same thing  voska | 12/20/04
Wow, that's real bad news for ya there Bit..  ExLax_in_the_BHind | 12/20/04
Not for me, possibly others, but not me.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 12/20/04
I've used it download legal software only  voska | 12/20/04
I never would...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 12/20/04
Caught you, finally!  ExLax_in_the_BHind | 12/20/04
Not even close, you are WAY out of your league.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 12/20/04
Gotcha!  Jeff Spicoli | 12/20/04
Re: Not for me, possibly others, but not me.  rhavyn | 12/20/04
Jeez...Can you say "Who Cares"?  Stewart Cannon | 12/20/04
Um the folks selling lump of coal for $100 care.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 12/20/04
Here's a lump back at you...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 12/20/04
Dude, WTF is your problem????  James T. Kirk | 12/21/04
Catching pirates for profit. I love it!  No_Ax_to_Grind | 12/20/04
Sharing copyrighted music files for profit. I love it!  tic swayback | 12/20/04
Good on them if that's what they want. Has nothing to do with RIAA.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 12/20/04
It has everything to do with the RIAA--it's their escape pod  tic swayback | 12/20/04
riaa = organized crime  sadchild | 12/21/04
I Like What The RIAA IS Doing!!!!!  cybershoplifter | 12/21/04
Oddly enough I think that's true  voska | 12/21/04
I GOT A DUMP TRUCK FULL OF COAL AT MY HOUSE  itanalyst | 12/21/04
RIAA License Suspended  TAE | 12/25/04

What do you think?

SmartPlanet

Click Here