If the RIAA is committed to suspending lawsuits, why has it filled 21 cases in roughly the last three weeks? Maybe no future suits will be brought on behalf of the RIAA as of the date they officially claimed an end to the practice, but this information has the ability to make the RIAA look questionable in their claims.

Here are the lawsuits in question:

• Atlantic Recording v. Williams 08cv01710 W.D. Pennsylvania 12/15/08
• Sony BMG Music v. Linus 08cv14413 S.D. Florida 12/11/08
• UMG Recordings v. Gulledge 08-cv-00973-MHT-TFM M.D. Alabama 12/10/08
• Warner Bros. Records Kelley 08-cv-02295-CLS N.D. Alabama 12/10/08 
• Sony BMG Music v. Van Ornum 08-cv-04205-JLH E.D. Arkansas 12/10/08
• Interscope Records v. Tabor 08-cv-03068-JLH W.D. Arkansas 12/10/08
• BMG Music v. O’Brien 08-cv-02244-HRH D. Arizona 12/10/08
• Priority Records v. Easterling 08-cv-08131-PA-JTL C.D. California 12/10/08
• UMG Recordings v. Ibarzabal 08-cv-08136-R-SH C.D. California 12/10/08
• Interscope Records v. Doe 4 08-cv-01880-JBA D. Connecticut 12/10/08
• Arista Records v. Doe 2 08-cv-01874-CFD D. Connecticut 12/10/08
• Arista Records v. Doe 3 08-cv-01876-SRU D. Connecticut 12/10/08
• UMG Recordings v. Burmeister 08-cv-02295-MPM-DGB C.D. Illinois 12/10/08
• Warner Bros. Records v. Does 1-4 08-cv-01425-HA D. Oregon 12/5/08
• UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Does 08-cv-00717-TCK-PJC N.D. Oklahoma 12/5/08
• UMG Recordings v. Does 1-3 08-cv-00139-DLB E.D. Kentucky 12/4/08
• Sony BMG v. Lugo 2:2008cv15102 Bay City Michigan (Central Michigan University-Mt.Pleasant Mich) 
• UMG v. Rivera 1:2008cv15101 Bay City Michigan (Central Michigan University-Mt.Pleasant Mich) 
• Sony BMG v. Mack 1:2008cv15104 Bay City Michigan (Central Michigan University-Mt.Pleasant Mich) 
• Capital v. Pogue 1:2008cv15104 Bay City Michigan (Central Michigan University-Mt.Pleasant Mich)
• Oakland County Michigan through the Federal Courthouse in Detroit Mi. Psychopathic Records v. Anderson 2:2008cv15034 

This comes from http://recordingindustryvspeople.blogspot.com

This is exactly what is wrong with the Patent system in the United States. Apple is being sued by a company called EMG Technology for the manner in which the iPhone formats and zooms in on content when a user browses a website using the device.

To start, mobile devices have reformatted data for almost a decade now. In a previous life a company I worked for deconstructed data and made the content presentable for mobile devices during that time period. As TechCruch points out, that in and of itself – the existing technology – should seem to invalidate the patent just issued.

I had a big problem with the RIM / NTP lawsuit in which a patent holder was awarded $612.5M dollars all because the blackberry devices had a “scroll” wheel on the side. To me, and I understand I know nothing, but that seems like a poor use of common sense on the side of the law.

Major patent reform is needed to prevent common sense from being a liability and to cut down on individuals (and companies) who’s main point of existence is to have a patent library they hope to use as a form of business terrorism.