With the news that Jenni Engebretsen, the RIAA's Director of Communications, has been put in charge of PR for the Democratic National Convention, I thought I'd round up some of her greatest hits, culled from her adventures in PR while helping pilot the RIAA into its coveted slot as the most hated company in America:
- On whether downloading a single song could make you into the victim of a RIAA lawsuit: "The industry has no minimum threshold for pursuing legal action."
- On universities spying on students to help the RIAA sue them: "One would think universities would understand the need to retain these records."
- On whether infringement is the same as theft: "When you illegally download music, it's no different than walking into a music store and shoplifting." And "Unauthorized downloading is considered to be robbery by federal law, and is therefore treated as such."
- On whether universities should help the RIAA extort money from students without going to court: "It's almost unimaginable that a university would be unwilling to help a student avoid a lawsuit."
- On the RIAA's lawsuit against Patti Santangelo, a soccer mom who didn't download any music: "No comment."
With expert PR like this, a Democratic victory must be assured, right?
