RIAA suit over XM recording device draws to a close

By Tim Conneally | Published June 10, 2008, 1:24 PM

EMI has withdrawn from the RIAA complaint against XM Satellite Radio over the Pioneer Inno, an XM receiver that allows users to record the satellite service directly to MP3 or WMA.

The RIAA's suit, filed in May 2006, alleged the Pioneer Inno was a device built for the express purpose of copyright infringement, and asked for huge reparations for every song that users copied.

At first, the suit was supported by all the "Big Four" major music labels, but in late 2007, Universal Music Group withdrew from the complaint. It struck a deal with XM, licensing its content for recording on the Inno and future devices offered by the satellite radio provider.

UMG's withdrawal started a landslide, and in less than two months, both Warner Music and Sony BMG had pulled out from the suit and established similar settlements.

EMI was the last major record company to retract its complainant status and resolve its dispute with XM over the device. As with the prior arrangements, neither company has disclosed the terms of the agreement.

Comments

View comments by with a score of at least

Wake UP you RIAA idiots! The last time I checked, you can subscribe to both XM and SIRIUS satellite radio on the internet. A fool believes that customers cannot record those streams on their hard drives. I've done it myself a few times.

And now they sell kits to add satellite radios to a home stereo system. Most of then are equipped with recording devices too. Expect to get some decent results using a CD-R recorder or even a Hi-Fi VCR.

This entire episode is an example of sheer stupidity...

Score: 0

|

XM sue them back for lost money and for the money they caused the stock holders!!!!

Score: 0

|

I can't wait until the artist start wising up and cutting out the RIAA altogether. They are nothing but a mangy parasite sucking on their profits.

Score: 0

|

why are these riaa/mpaa folks so greedy?

Score: 0

|

because they wanna be a bill gates with all the money he once had

Score: 0

|

Rest assured artists will still not be paid and the assault on the public domain will continue to consolidate profits for the few. Secrecy is more viable method for maintaining an existence (the RIAA's) that there is no longer an actual need for. Copyright law in it's present form is a draconian creativity sqausher and seems set to get worse.

Score: 0

|

Yea cause the RIAA can't afford another Betamax type ruling if they loose. And they know full well if it goes that far, it will get a ruling in favor of fair use rights to the consumer. So they settle in secret to prevent that possibility from ever occurring again... Thus is the motivation and stratagem of the RIAA MPAA.

Score: 0

|

Microsoft's Ray Ozzie: 'Nobody's going to be 100% open'

The mobile apps ecosystems of the world may converge over time, led by apps being ported over across platforms, according to the Chief Software Architect.

Will Firefox beat IE9 to Direct2D rendering?

Just days after Microsoft executives gave conference attendees a peek at a new rendering technology, a Mozilla contributor revealed he's working on the same thing.

Where there's smoke: Apple warranty stance raises troubling questions

Carmi Levy | Wide Angle Zoom: Smoking can be dangerous not only for your lungs, it appears, but for your Apple hardware warranty.

The fallacy of Facebook privacy

Carmi Levy | Wide Angle Zoom: If an insurance company learns something interesting about its client through the Internet, is that snooping?

Microsoft 'worked with Apple' for Silverlight on iPhone, says Goldfarb

By not making such a big deal out of trying to stream video to the iPhone, Microsoft got a big deal out of it, revealed the Silverlight product manager.

Clicker.com cuts through the Web video chaos

In a world where homemade video and Hollywood movies travel the same pipeline, it's good to have a real search engine to cut through the clutter.

A case study in improving software: What Office 2010 can learn from Notion 3

A music composition product gambles with a complete overhaul, in an effort to make headway against two well-known competitors in a tough market.

Kindle 2 update adds battery life, native PDF reader

Amazon has pushed out an update to the Kindle 2 e-reader that lengthens battery life and adds a native PDF viewer.

Safari on iPhone gets competition from a $1 browser app

Apple likes to say it gives iPhone users a full browsing experience, but a new competitor tries to incorporate more desktop browser features.

Action Replay maker sues Microsoft for Xbox 360 'predatory technological barriers'

Third-party video game accessory maker Datel has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft over the Xbox 360's recent Dashboard update.