The Pirate Bay: RIAA Is Kid Screaming For Candy

The RIAA and The Pirate Bay are at it again. Both groups have fired at each other over blogs that paint each other in a negative light. Let’s watch the fireworks, shall we? Mitch Glazier, Senior Exe...
The Pirate Bay: RIAA Is Kid Screaming For Candy
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The RIAA and The Pirate Bay are at it again. Both groups have fired at each other over blogs that paint each other in a negative light. Let’s watch the fireworks, shall we?

Mitch Glazier, Senior Executive VP of the RIAA wrote a blog post titled, “The Pirate Bay: Exhibit A For Why Foreign Rogue Websites Must Be Effectively Addressed.” In the blog post, he details the recent convictions of the founders of The Pirate Bay that we reported on. He also says that the Web site’s move to an .se domain name clearly demonstrates why there needs to be new laws to address “foreign rogue Web sites” – laws like SOPA and PIPA.

The Pirate Bay isn’t one to stand for it and published a piece on TorrentFreak in response to the RIAA. “Winston” comes out swinging fast and hard by saying that Glazier’s use of the term “copyright theft” is incorrect.

Winston is about to jump into semantics, so be prepared:

A small lesson to Mr Glazier: If someone steals something, you don’t have it anymore. If you copy it, both have it. This means: If someone steals your copyright (aka “copyright theft”) you don’t have the copyright anymore. I’m having a hard time to see that happening though, since copyright isn’t really physical.

As for the argument that piracy is leading to lost jobs, Winston say to blame technology, not them:

The jobs that you say are being stolen in the US are somewhat physical though. And if someone steals them where do they go? Maybe they just aren’t needed anymore! That’s what technology does! Sorry, it’s 2012 not 1912 – do you want to forbid robots as well, since they steal jobs?

As for the RIAA pushing for stricter copyright laws in global treaties like ACTA and TPP, Winston draws upon their recent move from a .org domain to a .se:

Yes, Glazier is upset that TPB moved away from a US-controlled domain name. He doesn’t seem to understand that there is a worldwide problem when one single country tries to take control over a global infrastructure. TPB has no connections to the US so why should the US be able to control it?

It’s a very undemocratic procedure which obviously the RIAA is supportive of. Apparently “escaping US laws” means not being born in the US, not living there, not working there or not wanting to kiss your ass.

The RIAA does have a point when it says that several European ISPs are now blocking The Pirate Bay due to court orders. The only problem is that said blocking may now be illegal with the recent ruling that said social networks are not required to filter their users’ Internet. The same goes for ISPs as well.

Winston ends with a criticism on the RIAA that I think is important enough to include in its entirety:

The RIAA wants the tech industry to sit down and talk to them. Fuck that. You’re not in charge. If you want the help of the tech industry, ask for it. You’ll probably get it since most tech people are nice. You’re not in charge anymore and that’s probably why you’re pissed off.

Plz stop calling yourself “the creative community”. You’re not a community, you’re a coalition of some of the richest companies in the world. And the only thing you seem to be creative with is your accounting procedures.

The recording industry is like a kid screaming for candy. The problem is that the kid has diabetes.

The RIAA has not yet responded to The Pirate Bay’s response. When they do, we’ll be sure to update you.

Do you think that the RIAA or The Pirate Bay has the better argument? Is file sharing equatable to theft, or is it just that – sharing? Let us know in the comments.

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