Wednesday, August 15, 2007

The Onion as prophecy? Go figure.

In 2005, The Onion published an article it thought was pretty hysterical satire. Yes, it was hysterical, but was it satire?

I fear we live in a satire-proof age, considering how close to reality this sendup of the RIAA's war against its customer base would end up being in 2007:
RIAA Bans Telling Friends About Songs

LOS ANGELES — The Recording Industry Association of America announced Tuesday that it will be taking legal action against anyone discovered telling friends, acquaintances, or associates about new songs, artists, or albums. "We are merely exercising our right to defend our intellectual properties from unauthorized peer-to-peer notification of the existence of copyrighted material," a press release signed by RIAA anti-piracy director Brad Buckles read. "We will aggressively prosecute those individuals who attempt to pirate our property by generating 'buzz' about any proprietary music, movies, or software, or enjoy same in the company of anyone other than themselves." RIAA attorneys said they were also looking into the legality of word-of-mouth "favorites-sharing" sites, such as coffee shops, universities, and living rooms.

HAT TIP: Radio and Internet Newsletter.

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