Lawyer Wants RIAA To Sue The Bush Twins For Copyright Infringement

[matcom]

<snip>

Mitchell Silverman, an attorney in Florida, noticed in a recent news-story that GW Bush's twin daughters presented him with a mix CD of exercise music for Father's Day. Since the record industry maintains that making and distributing mix CDs is a copyright infringement, Silverman sent their legal offices a letter on letterhead asking them to sue the first twins for "stealing music."

As you will see from the attached article from today’s The Miami Herald, President George W. Bush’s daughters made him a presumably illegal compilation CD, a so-called “mix CD,” as a Father’s Day present. As the article, at http://www.miamiherald.com/692/story/142726.html states, “ Bush's twin daughters, gave him a CD they had made for him to listen to while exercising.”

This is a serious violation of copyright. As you know, whichever of your member organizations that are right-holders for the copied musical works may be entitled to statutory damages of $150,000.00 per musical work copied.

I hope and expect that you at the RIAA will display the same vigor in prosecuting this matter and protecting the rights of your rights-holders that it has displayed in enforcing those rights against other alleged violators.

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/06/21/lawyer_to_riaa_sue_t.html

[Lil Missy]

1. Laws do not apply to bush et all.

They will beat the rap.

[TommyO]

2. They might beat the rap

but can they rap to the beat?

[Orsino]

3. That's the RIAA for you...

...ready to claim ownership and sue before the crime is even identified.

[Yavin4]

8. The RIAA Is Nothing But A Bunch of Trial Lawyers, What Else Are They Gonna Do?

The RIAA is the biggest scam in the legal world going today. They're nothing more than a bunch of lawyers who have convinced the music industry that they can sue downloading out of existence.

That's akin to suing clouds to stop it from raining.

[Lance_Boyle]

10. Um, the RIAA *is* the music industry.

They hire their lawyers using money they extort, steal, or otherwise obtain from musicians.

[Yavin4]

12. Yes, The RIAA Is Run By The Record Companies, But

Its existence is primarily dependent on lawyers. It's just like the MPAA. It's owned by the Hollywood stuidos, but it's run by lawyers. Another analogy is the professional sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, etc. The commissioners of these leagues are all corporate attorneys.

So, my point is this: the RIAA is goaded by the lawyers who run it that they can sue illegal downloading out of existence.

[begin_within]

4. They're assuming that Bush would know what to do with a CD.

[cobalt1999]

5. Oh please do it RIAA

Of course they won't, but if they did it would be the death knell for all this bullshit.

[ghostsofgiants]

6. That's hilarious.

But at the same time, fuck the RIAA.

[deepthought42]

7. Wait, making a mix CD is illegal???

How many of us have made mix CDs (and tapes, once upon a time) for our friends, et al? SHEESH... Fucking RIAA...

That being said... I'd have to (reluctantly) side with them in this case...:evilgrin:

[Orsino]

9. It probably is, in most cases.

Thing is, it's not illegal for the Bush twins to buy downloads, burn them onto a CD and give the disc as a gift. The story doesn't say exactly what they did, just what songs were downloaded, when or from where. If the RIAA rattles this particular saber, they'll look pretty stupid--especially since the Bush crime family is the best friend they could ever buy in government. They couldn't dream up a better ally in their quest to own the world.

[Lance_Boyle]

11. distribution for profit is illegal

distribution limited to 5 or fewer copies, for no profit, has historically not been regarded as unlawful distribution.