Anybody who’s been following the various copyright battles over the last few years is aware that the Recording Industry Ass. of America has been on a campaign of extortion litigation against alleged filesharers, where they contact you demanding that you settle for some thousands of dollars, with the threat of taking you to court if you don’t settle. It’s been working pretty well for them, since the cost of going to court to defend yourself would typically be higher than the amount they’re asking in settlement.

Well, it’s been working well if you believe that there’s no such thing as bad press. We’ve seen such gems as the RIAA pursuing a Snoop-Dogg loving grandmother, a 12-year-old girl, and suggesting that students drop out of college to pay their settlements. It’s like they’re actively aspiring to be moustache-twisting silent movie villains, cackling wildly as they evict the helpless heroine and her children from their home.

I think the latest one takes the cake though. When the defendant dies partway through the suit, what do you do? Why, go after the family, of course! To be fair, they magnanimously granted the family sixty whole days to grieve before they haul them in front of the court for the sins of the father. How gracious of them.

It’s unbelievable to me. Even if they’re not sensitive to the demands of common decency, you’d think they’d have some sensitivity to the fact that these cases make the entire recording industry look like a bunch of heartless, money-grubbing middle men. I know every time I see another one of these stories it makes me think twice about buying more CDs and continuing to pump money into the industry that may turn around and sue me for my troubles…