I on the flip side like technicalities, it keeps things in check. Otherwise there could possibly be a far more insane prison population problem. Technicalities ensure that the system is still working, if there is a technicality defense available, then the plaintiff isn't truly following the rules. But I am biased against the coporate machine, and am glad to see that the woman found some competent legal representation. It seems to me the RIAA did not.

Oh, and technically, its copyright infringement not theft. :p

Hmmmm - I think the whole DMCA and the concept of copyright in genreal needs to be revisited. The current laws make it next to impossible for someone like me to have any secondary use of the music I purchase.

For example, I'd love to add a music componant to this website, but in looking at what I would have to do to accomplish it legally the cost in both time and money made it ridiculously prohibited. Honestly, I don't know how people manage to play music for other people anymore.

I'd like to see the whole price structure changed. I've heard someone talk about building the costs into ISP fees - but I think perhaps the rights to "rebroadcast" in some limited fashion should be granted with purchase for personal use.

I'd like to see copyright protection drasticly reigned in to something like patents - after 7 years the work would become public domain. I think the large corporations are protected from the current laws, but the effect is to casue the smaller players to vanish into obscurity becasue it's so damn difficult to secure the rights of independent works to do much of anything with.

But that's my rant on copyright.

I don't consider downloading music theft on my part, because I, at one time, BOUGHT all the albums I get songs from. I just had to spend $50 to get an album re-mastered that had never been put out on CD and I couldn't find it anywhere else. Would I have been happier if that $50 went to the artist? Hell yeah, but I've been to his web site and no one will sign him right now. Probably because he's not a 13-year-old in a short skirt. I TOTALLY BLAME the industry for all this...

Just a thought, and may require a little leg/phone work, but there are many unsigned, looking for a break, starving, independant musicians out there that don't have a contract with the "major labels" that may be willing to allow you to host their music on a radio station style format(or whatever other type of format you were thinking of) just to get their name and music out there to a few more people. Could be a pain to find and negotiate deals with each artist individually, but could be worth it for all parties involved.

My emphasis above - yeah, in theory I could chase down any number of artists individulally to secure rights, but I've already got a full time job that pays me -

But that is my complaint, the amount of time it would take to secure 3 minutes of airtime is way out of wack for an individual like me to take on.

of course, it was just a thought, you know, in case someone else with spare time on their hands wanted to do something similar. Didn't really expect anything to come of it, it was just an idea.

But if you(or anyone really) ever needs a hobby, could be fun to go from musician hang out to musician hang out to pimp the idea of playing their music radio style on a site and getting their permission to do so(in writing of course). As long as you aren't looking to make money off their music, I don't see why it wouldn't be too hard a sale(especially if you(anyone in particular) have some skillz at sales). Heck, the labels get artists to give them their songs for a pittance per cd sold(maybe a dollar, possibly less(dunno, not in the biz).