CNET: RIAA sued under gang laws
In a long-shot legal defense used by a New Jersey woman threatened with civil charges of copyright violation by the record industry, her lawyer is counter-suing with racketeering charges. The countersuit alleges that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is using extortion by threatening six-figure lawsuits and demanding settlements as a means to prevent legal expenses. Unfortunately for the woman in New Jersey, this is a form of extortion that the federal courts created and continues to encourage, so as to encourage out-of-court settlements in the face of impossible caseloads.
