Fun Friday: RIAA Gets 'Em While They're Young

Filed in archive Fun on April 6, 2007

The recording industry has embarked on an innovative strategy. Tired of combative adults who claim they're innocent and can't pony up the $5,000 settlement, the recording is catching Americans when they're younger and can't protest.

Here is the full article:

RIAA to Parents: Pay When They're Toddlers and Save the
Bother Later

The RIAA today sent a "settlement letter" to all parents of
children under 3 years old offering a toddler settlement rate
for online copyright infringement if they simply send payment
to major record labels before their children learn to read.

"Our goal is to make this easier for parents," said RIAA
President Cary Sherman. "Everyone knows that in this era of
increasing hard drive capacity and new digital media
technologies, it is inevitable that every child in America
will infringe copyright sooner or later. With our 'toddler
settlement' rate, parents can avoid those pesky lawsuits.
Consider it a way to invest your child's future."

The toddler settlement requires parents to log everything
their child ever does online and to make those logs available
to the RIAA at regular intervals. "It can just become a part
of every birthday celebration," added RIAA's counsel at Holme,
Roberts and Owen. "Blow out the candles and send your Internet
logs to Uncle RIAA!"

If you haven't figured it out, this is a belated April Fool's Joke, courtesy of the EFF.