Record Label Takes Stand Against RIAA

From Ars Technica,

In a twist on the old tale of the RIAA suing teenagers for downloading music, Nettwerk Records (Canada) has offered to pay the legal bills of one family who has vowed to challenge the RIAA in court. The Gruebels, a US family, are accused by the RIAA of downloading a whole host of songs, including works by various Nettwerk artists. The label has offered to foot the bill for Chicago lawyer Charles Mudd Jr., who will defend the family in court and has already argued several cases on this issue. Terry McBride, CEO of Nettwerk, explained in a statement that he does not see how lawsuits help the industry, the artist, or the consumer.

In addition, the label has stated that they will even pay the fee the RIAA is demanding if the family loses the case.

This is very cool. If would be even better if more labels saw things this way, and could start to rack up some pressure against the Big Five and the RIAA. Of course, there's always the hope that what we're seeing is the death throes of the RIAA, and either they will learn to adapt to the new economy or eventually die out.