It seems the recording industry’s New Year resolution is fighting copyright infringement even more fiercely. Here is a small roundup of news from the last few days.
Hip Hop artist DJ Drama was arrested for producing mix CDs. I guess the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has simply forgotten that mixtapes were vital in establishing Hip Hop as a genre that made them earn a buck or two.
Yesterday German collecting society GEMA has sued out a preliminary injunction against file hosting company RapidShare. GEMA wants to know how many files of its artists are hosted and shared on RapidShare. According to a GEMA spokesman this could also serve as a first step to sue companies like YouTube and MySpace.
The IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) threatens to sue internet service providers if they won’t stop customers from sharing copyrighted material over their networks. Next time they will sue my phone company if I whistle a song on the phone. 
Mixtapes and CDS, file hosters, ISPs,… who is next?
Tags: America, GEMA, Hip Hop artist, Industry Association of America, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, internet service providers, MySpace, New Year's Day, spokesman, YouTube