Comments on: Anti-P2P bill gets warm welcome from Ruckus.com

Should federal financial aid be jeopardized if a university doesn't sign up for an RIAA-blessed music site? One such site thinks so.

[umbrae]

Always nice to have an unbiased opinion...

*insert sarcasm*

[jelloburn]

"unbiased opinion"

By the very definition of opinion, it would be impossible to have
an unbiased one.

o?pin?ion - noun - a view or judgment formed about
something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge

Additionally, this is a blog post, not a news story, so it will
probably be expressing an opinion. There is no journalistic
requirement for lack of bias.

[solomonsd21]

Let it happen

The schools should call the bluff and let it happen and then the RIAA and government can deal with the back lash as millions of students drop out of college and get angry with the bully politics of the RIAA. I don't see why it is the universities responsibility to make sure the students aren't sharing files. I would be seriously shocked if there is one school out there that has a staff encouraging illegal file sharing.
It's amazing how blatantly the RIAA and MPAA have been publicly buying out government officials whose jobs... at least according to the constitution, is to protect the interests of the American people. Everyone know's that lobbying is nothing more than buying you're way into favor but the RIAA and MPAA have been more public about it then anyone else I can remember recently. Is this what our elected officials are elected to do?

[chuck_whealton]

Re: Let it happen

I'd be willing to bet that most students don't have time to waste downloading music - legally or illegally.

For those that are downloading it, they're not all doing it illegally.

This is group punishment and it's wrong. It's also sending a boatload of business to a company that didn't even earn it.

It's not the job of higher education to send business to these guys. Let them go out and work for it like other companies do.

Charles R. Whealton
Charles Whealton @ pleasedontspam.com

[ballssalty]

Even if it passes

Which it won't, it will be challenged in court and over turned as unconstitutional.

[rcrusoe]

Sorry, but you are dreaming

Votes seem to be fairly inexpensive in Washington these days.

Look how easily Disney gets the copyright laws rewritten in their
favor each time that frigging Mouse gets ready to go into the public
domain.

As long as the entertainment industry can write checks they'll get
pretty much whatever they want.

[aka_tripleB]

The RIAA is nothing more than a new mafia

And now they're looking for federal backing to continue their extortionist ways. Why should students actually have to pay for something most don't want? This is a capitalist society, and that means that we don't have to pay for something we don't want. And if we don't like something, it should not be forced on us. That's why there aren't any Newtons, Segways, betamaxes, and numerous other products. Obviously, having a centralized music backer isn't a working business model so it should be abolished not forced even further in people's lives.

And if the U.S. government does take away Stafford loan, they will once again be called Indian givers, because for the past 40 years college students have almost always been guarenteed some federal aid under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Especially for something that won't add any academic value to your already outrageously high college tuition.

[setzej]

(real) 25 years in a forest labor camp for downloading copyrighted MP3s

25 years in a forest labor camp for downloading copyrighted MP3s and other forms of terror (This was a real bill in oregon in 2003)

http://www.mindfully.org...fe-OR-SB742-27feb03.htm
http://www.infowars.com/..._tyranny_in_america.htm

Also, check out this film on Google video to learn about GOVERNMENT SPONSORED TERROR
http://video.google.com/...ocid=786048453686176230

[sandkicker]

Who really cares - Lawyers and riaa are crooks

Lets see:
1. Advertise supported music at no cost.
a. but yet the music is technically paid for by the student glancing at advertisements

b. music is not available to the students after they leave school, even though they
technically paid for it by perusing advertisements.

2. Ruckus, wants funding stopped, the term used by on respondent, "MAFIA" is most
fiting, although racketeering would probably be more socially acceptible. Ruckus
thinks that all students should pay the price becaus some miscreants break the
law. By that logic, If a Ruckus Officer is indicted for imbezzelment then all
board members of that company should face the same fate (makes sense to
me).

3. Schools are not arms of the Dept of Justice, or of State, county or city entities.
If a law is broken, the RIAA brings suit, and the investigation should be handled
in the legal system (as broken and corrupt as it is). Lawyers are making a mint
by threatening people.

As for me, just an old retiree, who still has vinyl, 8 tracs, reels, cassettes, and a ton of cd's
but my buying days are over. I used to move my tracks to cd's to create personal cds
to use in the car when traveling, but I will be damned if I want lawyers for the RIAA
screeming. So no, for at least the last few years, I have saved my upwards of a $1000
by not purchasing albums anymore.....Besides, a entire album, may only have 1 or 2
decent cuts on it, so you are paying $14 - $20 plus for two cuts...does that make sense.

But then, who really cares lawyers and big business run the government anyway.

[jgarne86]

Ruckus

Well it's a start in the right direction but I don't agree that schools should be forced to sign up for this or students lose their grants. Why not just pass a bill to stop these P2P sites from hosting copyrighted music and movies. This will curb the problem. Most downloading comes from the fact that most songs that these people want are just one song off the CD and no one wants to buy a CD for one song, though it's still wrong thats the fact. Most artist today only have one or two songs worth listen to, things are not like it was when we had real music and artist that could really sing.