Saturday, November 11, 2006

Santangelo Lawyer Speaks Out to p2pnet

Here is an excerpt from an excellent article in p2pnet:

" Santangelo lawyer speaks out

"p2pnet.net special:- When, last February, independent, one-man law office Jordan Glass was officially accepted into the New York court system to defend Big Four Organized Music victim Patti Santangelo, he guaranteed he'd stay on the case to the end.

"He's kept his promise, and then some because now, as well as representing Patti, he's also acting for two of her children, Michelle and Robert, who've also become Big Four targets.

"What does this mean to you? - p2pnet asked Glass shortly after he took on his two newest clients.

"Here's his reply:

"This is both a privilege and an even greater responsibility than representing Patti alone, not because of the allegations, but because of their ages. Michelle was only 16-17 years old when the events were alleged to have taken place; Bobby was only 12-13 years old. Even Matthew Seckler, the identified family friend in the matter, was only 14-15 years old.

"As law students we're taught that law reflects "public policy." But what is public policy? It can be answered by asking this fundamental question:

"What kind of country do you want to live in?"

"Law is the main public mechanism by which we answer that question. But what about laws that don't work as intended, that trap the unwary or create an unintended or inappropriate burden?

"This case is about such laws.

"At issue is much more than whether Patti or her children, or tens of thousands of others did or did not violate copyright laws. At issue is the fundamental question, "What kind of country do you want to live in?""

Complete article


Keywords: digital copyright online download upload peer to peer p2p file sharing filesharing music movies indie label freeculture creative commons pop/rock artists riaa independent mp3 cd favorite songs

1 comment:

CodeWarrior said...

This is an excellent country...i.e. what kind of country do you want to live in.

Certainly, with regard to digital rights, we want a country in which people have a right to make copies of their own records and DVDs for safe keeping.

YouTube started out with an egalitarian premise of posting of clips of entertainment that could be viewed for free, and could be shared.

Do we want a country in which megaglomerates try to extort vast amounts of money from grandmothers, kids, dead people, and people who have never downloaded files?

I think not.