Corey Dietz has uncovered a double secret probation scheme by the RIAA to go after illegal secondary users of car radio:
- Lawyers for the RIAA maintain that the radio in each car was never meant to be listened to by anyone else except the original owner of the vehicle.
Therefore, any additional passengers who listen to music on the radio in another individual’s car are doing so illegally and without the express permission of the copyright holders of the respective songs that are broadcast.
RIAA attorneys were preparing to go to Federal District courts across the country to have subpoenas issued to every car maker in America in the hopes of forcing them to disclose the names and addresses of all purchasers from the last 20 years.
“We think this is a no brainer,” said an RIAA spokesperson who declined to be identified. “These drivers have been illegally sharing music on their radios and their passengers have been getting a free ride for way too long,” he continued.
Legal representatives for the RIAA also warned that they would especially be targeting the “big fish” like charter bus drivers and RV owners who blatantly turn up the radio volume allowing others to hear. [About.com]
Doesn’t sound all that farfetched, does it?