This got a chuckle out of me....
RIAA SUES EXTRA-TERRESTRIALS =========================================
Claims Aliens Will Rip Music Off of Space Probe
By Moses Avalon
In synchronization with the scientific community??s celebration of the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Voyager Space Probe, the RIAA is filing a preemptory lawsuit against an entire class of extra-terrestrials who they believe will come in contact with the probe after it breaches the boundaries of our solar system sometime in the next few years.
RIAA spokesperson, Anslyem Rothchild, said to the press this morning, ??The recordings that were sent into space in 1977 still enjoy protection under the US Copyright act and will inevitably be heard by space aliens. We feel sure that they will illegally share these recordings with other aliens, without first acquiring the proper licensing from our member labels.?
Rothchild is referring to the LP vinyl disk containing twenty-seven selections of music which is among the artifacts blasted into space 30 years ago. It was designed as a greeting in case the probe encountered intelligent life. According to Wikipedia, the probe??s recording contains, ??sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth? Following [this] there is an eclectic 90-minute selection of music from many cultures, including Eastern and Western classics.?
??Let??s be real,? said Rothchild, ??any advanced intelligent life is gonna skip the boring nature stuff and go right for the hits. And realize this: they have probably mastered telepathy and could share the music with 1000s of other entities instantly. Sort of like the internet on steroids.?
Among the recordings are Chuck Berry??s, Johnny B Goode, owned by MCA/Universal and classical recordings of Beethoven and Bach owned by Sony Music and EMI.
??We??re filing the suit symbolically on this historically significant anniversary. When those little green bastards come to the US, we??ll be waiting with an injunction. We??re not taking them to our leader until they pay us.?
Defining ??extra ??terrestrials? as a class is a fresh angle in Civil Court. But lawyers for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (an advocacy group that fights for consumers?? rights to share music on the internet) say the RIAA is not really interested in collecting money from aliens. But, rather advancing the theory of infringement via telepathy. ??If successful, it could open the door to many other suits against consumers on Earth; for example you could be sued for even thinking about music you didn??t first buy.?
George Orwell could not be reached for comment.
What exactly is on the Voyager LP:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record
