RIAA slapped with lawsuit

from the fine folks at CE Pro

The RIAA has made us feel a lot of
emotions in the past few years -- disbelief after claims that they are
responsible for
"containing" piracy, joy that they have to withdraw suits that have no merit
and disgust over their handling of a recently deceased man's case.
But not until today have we felt that "ah-ha" moment,
where someone has decided to sue the RIAA. Taking on the recording industry
giant is file-sharing network Lime Wire,
alleging "antitrust violations, consumer fraud, and other misconduct."
According to court documents, Lime Wire alleges that the RIAA's "goal was
simple: to destroy any online music distribution service they did not own or
control, or force such services to do business with them on exclusive and/or
other anticompetitive terms so as to limit and ultimately control the
distribution and pricing of digital music, all to the detriment of
consumers."

I'm having trouble formulating a coherent analysis, as I am simulaneously overcome by evil glee at the notion of the RIAA getting a dose of their own medicine, and am distracted by the hoots and whistles as the needle on my IronyMeter® is registering off the charts. It's hard to be thoughtful and insightful when you're impaired by fits of giggling.

Regardless, I've been ranting and railing against the RIAA and their myopic, paranoid approach to the music business for years. It's nice to see someone with (presumably) deep pockets stand up to the RIAA's bullying, and challenge the inherent ridiculousness of their conduct. Their McCarthyesque approach has won the Music Industry zero friends over the years, and has probably harmed their cause more than it has helped. I can't wait to see how this turns out.

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