Fox News:
Bradley A. Buckles, who served ATF for 30 years and was named director in
1999, will come head of the Anti-Piracy Unit of the Recording Industry
Association of America, the trade group announced Tuesday.
1999, will come head of the Anti-Piracy Unit of the Recording Industry
Association of America, the trade group announced Tuesday.
“Brad’s appointment should signal to everyone that we continue to take
piracy, here and throughout the world, very seriously,” said Mitch Bainwol,
RIAA’s chairman and chief executive officer.
piracy, here and throughout the world, very seriously,” said Mitch Bainwol,
RIAA’s chairman and chief executive officer.
ATF is the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. The
symbolism here is just surreal. Listening to music you didn’t pay
for is apparently in the same category as shooting someone, using an
addictive drug, or drunk driving. Come on. The latter three
result in hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths each year.
I used to think the music industry was more thoughtful than Hollywood
when it came to digital distribution, even though they faced a more
imminent threat from peer-to-peer file sharing. Now I’m not so
sure. If the music industry’s main argument is that file sharing
is immoral and a crime, it may provoke mass civil disobedience.
The mainstream of Americans don’t feel that way.