RIAA commando team (no< im not kidding)

[usa320]

Though no guns were brandished, the bust from a distance looked like classic LAPD, DEA or FBI work, right down to the black "raid" vests the unit members wore. The fact that their yellow stenciled lettering read "RIAA" instead of something from an official law-enforcement agency was lost on 55-year-old parking-lot attendant Ceasar Borrayo.

The Recording Industry Association of America is taking it to the streets.

Even as it suffers setbacks in the courtroom, the RIAA has over the last 18 months built up a national staff of ex-cops to crack down on people making and selling illegal CDs in the hood.

The result has been a growing number of scenes like the one played out in Silver Lake just before Christmas, during an industry blitz to combat music piracy.

Borrayo attends to a parking lot next to the landmark El 7 Mares fish-taco stand on Sunset Boulevard. To supplement his buck-a-car income, he began, in 2003, selling records and videos from a makeshift stand in front of the lot.

In a good week, Borrayo said, he might unload five or 10 albums and a couple DVDs at $5 apiece. Paying a distributor about half that up-front, he thought he’d lucked into a nice side business.

The RIAA saw it differently. Figuring the discs were bootlegs, a four-man RIAA squad descended on his stand a few days before Christmas and persuaded the 4-foot-11 Borrayo to hand over voluntarily a total of 78 discs. It wasn’t a tough sell.

"They said they were police from the recording industry or something, and next time they’d take me away in handcuffs," he said through an interpreter. Borrayo says he has no way of knowing if the records, with titles like Como Te Extraño Vol. IV — Musica de los 70’s y 80’s, are illegal, but he thought better of arguing the point.

"They tried to scare me," Borrayo said. "They told me, ‘You’re a pirate!’ I said, ‘C’mon, guys, pirates are all at sea. I just work in a parking lot.’"

Yes guys, its true.

I think its time the Real police strike back and break down some doors of their own.

The Frivilous lawsuits against 12 year olds in the projects i could shrug off, but this i cant.

Its illegal for police to barge into a Terrorist or drug dealers house without a warrant, but these guys, basically mercenaries, can break into peoples property, steal peoples belongings, impersonate law enforcement officers and threaten people and get away with it? Hogwash.

I hope tehy break down the door of a guy who trades music that also collects firearms. That will be the last time they get away with Breaking and entering.

[garyfanclub]

I totally agree. Where the hell does the RIAA get the right to kick down doors and say they are police? Agreed, I hope they catch a couple .233's in the chest next time they decide to play SWAT.

[usa320]

i agree...

I know some guys down in NYC where i grew up who love trading music...

They also love trading their pimped out, gold platted glocks.

:bash:

[Haiw]

RIAA - Really Immature Annoying Assholes

[usa320]

Time to fire up photoshop.

[Mr Gently Benevolent]

"They said they were police from the recording industry or something, and next time they’d take me away in handcuffs," he said through an interpreter.

This is so wrong, can they not get busted for misrepresentation.

[The Walrus]

This is just like that South Park episode where the kids are arrested for downloading music by a crack SWAT team, 'according to this you downloaded... Judas Priest! You're going away for a loooong time!' rofl

[Herrmannek]

http://nic.nac.wdyn.de/~herman/pirate.jpg

[scoone]

This is just like that South Park episode where the kids are arrested for downloading music by a crack SWAT team, 'according to this you downloaded... Judas Priest! You're going away for a loooong time!' rofl

rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl

[Falco]

All beys are on. How long will it take for someone to sue them.

[aktarian]

"They tried to scare me," Borrayo said. "They told me, ‘You’re a pirate!’ I said, ‘C’mon, guys, pirates are all at sea. I just work in a parking lot.’"

rofl rofl rofl

Altough I doubt it's smart to be smart ass when somebody is pointing a gun at you

[Rantanplan]

http://www.xbox-connection.com/hostedimages/mp3.jpg

[Haiw]

Almost as good as the 'smoking pot supports terrorism' one. :lol:

[Herrmannek]

http://www.xbox-connection.com/hostedimages/mp3.jpg

Yup...And I'am Mother Teresa...If I see one RIAA guy...I will drift him under the keell...

[Seoulstriker]

i don't remember when my brother showed me that (over 2 years probably) and i was laughing my ass off. still works. :D

[usa320]

I wonder if theyve tried this in texas yet?

:fork:

[Vance]

I wonder if theyve tried this in texas yet?

:fork:
...No.

[redhawk_six]

Once again, I'm happy to live in Canada.

Didn't the supreme court say that their investigation tactics were not legal? I wonder how they're getting all this info then....

And yes, calling themselves "police" is illegal, very illegal. Police = peace officer, a title that can not be taken by who ever wants it, it is appointed, like a military rank. Just because they where black vests and "enforce a law" doesn't make them cops. Private Eyes are not cops, bail enforcment officers are not cops, and RIAA are certainly not cops. They can't go knocking down doors and doing this with out the go ahead from a judge. They are not bounty hunters (bail enforcment, bounty hunters under law do not need a warrent or anything for anything, they may search at will, provided they have a reason). RIAA is not hunting people who skip out on bail, I don't know why they're being allowed to get away with this. If they tried it up here, they're asses would be in jail so fast... Hell, acting like that, they're likely to be shot by a cop, being so aggresive.... They'd probably try to resist arrest, and get their asses kicked.

I can't believe these RIAA idiots, they're not allowed to hack people anymore, so they kick in doors...

How much can they really be lossing anyway? Most people still go out to buy CDs and it's not like they don't make anything off of selling the music to the media (tv, radio, etc.). So they can only buy a new masion every other year and only two more luxury cars a year... The money they lose is not worth all this. They're probably spending more to try to stop music sharing then what they're lossing because of it... Dumbasses...

[hood]

Er... they didn't kick in any doors, and they never said they were police. Nothing they did was illegal. They persuaded the guy to give over his stuff in a completely voluntary way and they took his photograph so they could turn that over to the real police if they caught him doing it again. I see nothing wrong with what they did. If the guy had decided not to cooperate with them, they've have no authority or ability to do anything.

[Haiw]

They were fully armed and threatening the guy...and you say he gave his stuff 'voluntarily'. Common, this are really getting out of hand with the CD Gestapo.

[hood]

Did you read a different article than I did?


Though no guns were brandished


persuaded the 4-foot-11 Borrayo to hand over voluntarily a total of 78 discs.

Both things you just said were untrue.

[Haiw]

I just read the thing up there, but do you really think he gave them 'voluntarily'? I mean, if you're a tiny 4'11" guy and suddenly 4 guys in full tactical gear come up to you talking about 'being copyright police' and 'taking him away in handcuffs next time', do you really think there's much choice for the little guy? It's like a SWAT team running in a grocery store and the poor shop owner says "here take everything you want please don't shoot me!!"

[hood]

They're defending their property. If your house was robbed and you saw some guy on the street selling your stuff on the corner, would you sit back and do nothing? The problem with regular police is that they all too often walk by this stuff. I've seen countless times, police just walk by the pirated music stands on the streets of NYC. They have more important stuff to do. Fine, so the RIAA has to step in and do what they can within their ability. They didn't arrest the guy, but the whole handcuff thing was correct in that next time they'll be able to bring police because they'll have various amounts of evidence to show that this guy is a repeat offender and worthy of the real police's time.

[Roger Rabbit]

Gotta say it all seems fair enough to me. I'm partial to a bit of downloaded stuff from time to time but i dont go trying to make money out of it. More to the point if i was doing that stuff i'd be much happier them doing that to me than sueing me for all the millions of dollars i don't have. That guy was a blatent thief and was lucky not to be in court end of story.

[Herrmannek]

They're defending their property. If your house was robbed and you saw some guy on the street selling your stuff on the corner, would you sit back and do nothing? The problem with regular police is that they all too often walk by this stuff. I've seen countless times, police just walk by the pirated music stands on the streets of NYC. They have more important stuff to do. Fine, so the RIAA has to step in and do what they can within their ability. They didn't arrest the guy, but the whole handcuff thing was correct in that next time they'll be able to bring police because they'll have various amounts of evidence to show that this guy is a repeat offender and worthy of the real police's time.

Whoa...Whoa...Whoa....Hood... they are only selling very long numbers (ca 700MB long) nothing more...I'm sure no-one on that world poses rights to any nuber so how anybody can stole them, what if they just used montecarlo methods to find them... If somone don't want others to hear them, he should STFU, nothing more :)