Defending the families sued by the RIAA. When the RIAA sued 261 music sharers, the press was ready. Journalists knew the suits were coming--it was only a question of when, and who. But for the targets of the lawsuits (the vast majority families with children) there was nothing inevitable about it. Imagine getting hit with a lawsuit for more than the value of your home because your kids went to the wrong webpage and downloaded the wrong program. My role in this started a month ago, when my site was contacted by a programmer who, appalled by the story of Brianna LaHara, wanted to collect donations for people who'd been sued. We worked out a simple "P2P" Defense Fund.that could go up quickly without any legal hassle or red tape, and we started calling people who'd been targetted. The first phone calls were a shock: until then I'd thought about the lawsuits in intellectual/strategic terms (is this a good move for the RIAA or not, etc.) but on the phone these were real people with tough, complex lives: My husband and I both work full time to make ends meet. We have 4 children ... We are middle class and live from paycheck to paycheck. We are good, honest people. This lawsuit has devastated us. Musicians and independent labels are speaking out against the RIAA lawsuits, and one independent musician is even donating proceeds from his CD sales to the Defense Fund. An opportunity exists to stop future lawsuits. [kuro5hin.org]

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