....As part of their settlements, the students agreed not to knowingly infringe the record label's copyrights while using the Internet. They will also shut down their network search services. Peng's attorneys said he will instead provide links to a record industry Web site.
"We believe it's in everyone's best interest to come to a quick resolution, and that these four defendants now clearly understand the seriousness with which we view this type of illegal behavior," said RIAA Senior Vice President Matt Oppenheim in a statement. "We have also sent a clear signal to others that this kind of activity is illegal." [CNET]
Blah, blah, more to the point, the RIAA saw the "seriousness" of last week's Grokster ruling, which established the legal legitimacy of file sharing and pulled the rug out from under the RIAA's contributory infringement stance.
Also contributing to the RIAA's eagerness to settle, the dire financial status of the family of one of the accused:
- Andy Jordan, Jesse Jordan's father, said Thursday that after the recording industry filed its suits, "they began immediate negotiations to try to force the kids to settle as fast as possible."
"This whole thing is a publicity stunt, and unfortunately it has ended up as a big story in every country on the planet with names named and reputations trashed with no real evidence at all," he said. The Jordans have not been able to afford a lawyer to defend their son.
Andy Jordan, a computer scientist who is a technology consultant, was laid off from a full-time job two years ago. "We barely make ends meet as it is," he said. He added that the record industry would rather sue innovators than change with the times. [COHE]
Jordan's father also told the WSJ that
- his son's $12,000 settlement "happens to be the same amount of money that is the total of his bank account. That is money he has saved up over the course of working three years ... to save money for college."
Article comments
1 - Al Barger
I don't know about calling this an RIAA "cave." Sounds more like a victory. They squashed these guys, and intimidated a couple of colleges into banning P2P.
Even at that, though, what did they gain by their victory? Not much as I can see. The minor money is a hardship for these students, but probably not the half of what they spent collecting it.
Of course, it will not slow the rest of us down at all. Indeed, hopefully it will be a pyrhhic victory for the RIAA, motivating others to stand up to their thug tactics. Surely screwing a teenager out of his college fund isn't going to win them any friends.