Winning the War Against the RIAA

Business Week looks into a single mom's private war with the recording industry: Does She Look Like a Music Pirate?

After being sued by the music industry for stealing songs and winning the case's dismissal, Andersen is now taking the record industry to court. Her case is aimed at exposing investigative practices that are controversial and may be illegal, according to the lawsuit. One company hired by the record industry, she claims, snoops through people's computers, uncovering private files and photos, even though it has no legal right to do so. A different industry-backed company uses tactics similar to those of debt collectors, pressuring people to pay thousands of dollars in settlements even before any wrongdoing is proven. In Andersen's case, the industry's Settlement Support Center said that unless she paid $4,000 to $5,000 immediately, it would "ruin her financially," the suit alleges.

This is the same case we covered last year when Ms. Anderson charged the RIAA with fraud and racketeering. She's planning on dropping the RICO charges now, because the judge thought they'd be hard to prove. But her case "is very much alive." Sock it to the Man!

Via techdirt.