

LimeWire settles: are Google and Amazon next on RIAA's docket? - grellas
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/05/limewire-settles-are-google-and-amazon-next-on-riaas-docket.ars

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Natsu
Google, almost definitely, because the RIAA wants us to pay for every possible
slightly different way to use music, while Google would just help you make
your music conveniently available everywhere.

Given that, I wonder if Google couldn't hit them where it hurts and start
giving some artists non-exploitative contracts. You know, not playing the game
where they refuse to release your last album until you sign up for a contract
extension, or all those other little tricks they have that are practically
industry standards.

If they started threatening the RIAA in terms of music production & marketing
as well as distribution, the big RIAA labels could be made irrelevant.

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ajg1977
I'm not super impressed by Amazon's cloud drive so far, but I immediately
signed up for the 50GB/$50 a year plan and am now using it at work.

So far my experience is mixed, but I hope there will be enough early adopters
to encourage them (and Google) to take a stand against the RIAA insistence on
new payoffs whenever users wish to do something with items they already own.

When Apple's offering appears I'll have to see what it offers, but if it
involves licensees or smallprint (only songs purchased via iTunes etc) there's
virtually zero chance that I'll sign up, for exactly the same reason.

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RyanKearney
$50 a year? I pay $36 a year for Grooveshark and I've yet to not be able to
find a song I wanted to listen to.

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cowkingdeluxe
"But the 10,000-pound gorilla in the room is the unclear legality of these
storage services playing host to pirated music. And that’s where the labels
might have some legal muscle." What a horribly written article.

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Natsu
To be fair, the RIAA & co. is working night and day to weaken the DMCA Safe
Harbor provisions and to extend the MGM v. Grokster case's ruling about
inducement as far as possible.

I'm sure that Google did a proper legal analysis to stay within the bounds of
the law, but there are people out there working hard to change the law.

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jf
Is it really a good idea for the RIAA to sue companies which have the cash
reserves to purchase their clients outright?

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bittermang
And history would set a new speed record for repeating itself.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UMG_v._MP3.com>

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pbreit
Does Limewire have $100 million? Does it have _any_ money? Is anyone going to
get paid? Is the founder guy really going to cut a $100 million check at this
point?

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gscott
The limewire ceo has a lot of assets. Houses, cars, huge annuity accounts that
were setup to try to keep the money from being taken, they have a lot to go
after. Enough to cover the costs and get rid of Limewire.

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daimyoyo
I really hope the RIAA goes after companies like Google, Amazon, and Apple.
The RIAA will run out of money long before those companies do.

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RyanKearney
Here's what I don't understand...

Piracy is always going to be around. It's just easy for me to hop on my
friendly neighborhood torrenting site and download a copy of a movie or album
I want to watch/hear. I used to torrent like no other, until something
happened. Netflix came along. I signed up for Netflix and you know what, I can
honestly say I've never torrented a movie since. Why? Because I'm content
paying my Netflix monthly fee to legally obtain movies without jumping through
hoops and having to install adware infested DRM software and whatnot. I also
subscribe to Hulu for TV shows that I can't get on Netflix or aren't all
available to instant stream (yet?)

Now we have Music..... I have an iPhone so you know what, I still torrent
music. Why? Well I have Grooveshark, but Apple is too stuck-up to approve
their app for the app store. What's that mean? It means while I could listen
to the music legally (which is still arguable when it comes to Grooveshark)
Apple isn't going to let me. I'll be damned if I'm going to be forced to pay
for something I already have a subscription for. I could jailbreak and get the
Grooveshark app, which I'm thinking about, but we'll see.

tl;dr Music subscription site like Netflix is for Movies that works on iOS
devices = dramatic decline in piracy. Of course, it will be a cold day in hell
before Apple allows another company to cut into their iTunes Music Store
profits.

