It’s good to read these NYT commenters push back so heavily against the RIAA’s awful push on SOPA and PIPA. However. The RIAA is getting exactly what it wants out of all this negative publicity and even failed legislation (and the backlash during it’s “sue the grandmothers” approach a decade ago): it is raising awareness of the problem of piracy, and it is creating the impression in the less-informed public that crossing them will carry dire consequences.

If a government behaved like this we’d call them thugs and say their actions have an illegal, chilling effect on speech and business. But because they represent an industry made up of “artists” like Ke$sha, the RIAA gets a pass in Congress and by lots of media companies. Laaaaaame.