Back in October last year in a Backspin column I mentioned the case of Tanya Andersion, a 42-year-old disabled single mother from Oregon accused of downloading gangster rap. The RIAA allegedly hired a company called MediaSentry to hack into Anderson’s computer looking for evidence. The story continues but with less going in the RIAA’s favor than they might like …
To recap: “Anderson claims she was contacted by the RIAA’s Settlement Support Center, which acknowledged she was probably innocent. But they told her she should settle because the RIAA would proceed with a suit against her anyway ‘to discourage others from attempting to defend themselves against unwarranted litigation.'” So, it appears that the RIAA are as heartless as many of us have suspected. Well, according to a story on cdfreaks.com Ms. Anderson was desperate enough that in an attempt to get the RIAA to leave her alone she finally offered the RIAA the chance to forensically examine the computer for evidence of music. The RIAA, which had always said they wanted no such thing changed its mind and asked a court to order unlimited access to her computer. Not surprisingly Anderson and her lawyers refused to give unlimited access. In a great burst of reasonability the judge agreed! He told Ms. Anderson to “employ her own forensic expert and bill the RIAA for the costs of the examination.” It should warm the cockles of your heart to learn that Anderson is in the process of suing the RIAA under the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization) act. Way to go, Ms. Anderson!
