Oregon RIAA "Victim" Files Countersuit

From Recording Industry vs The People,

This is the case peer-to-peer file sharers have been waiting for. Tanya Andersen, a 41 year old disabled single mother living in Oregon, has countersued the RIAA for Oregon RICO violations, fraud, invasion of privacy, abuse of process, electronic trespass, violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, negligent misrepresentation, the tort of "outrage", and deceptive business practices.

More details can be found at the link above.

Overall, this is pretty exciting news. If, indeed, this woman is innocent of any wrong-doing, I hope she wins. If she is not innocent, perhaps some good will still come of this. Howewer, as some comments to the original article point out, the allegations of cracking her computer are questionable, and could kill the case.

Now, let me be clear on one thing: The more I hear of the RIAA, the less I like them. However, my understanding of the commandment, "Thou shalt not steal," leads me to believe that piracy (of music, software, whatever) is generally wrong. I recognize the RIAA's right to sue those who illegally download music. My problem is with the greed that seems to be very manifest in many of their actions. They often look more like a playground bully than like the victim they want us to believe that they are.

Many species go extinct because they are unable to adapt to changes in their environment. The Internet has turned many a "traditional" company on its head. Some adapted and survived. The RIAA seems to be determined to die as loudly as possible.