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won, he would have a piece of paper saying he had won, and a piece of
paper saying he and his family were bankrupt.
So Jesse faced a mafia-like choice: $250,000 and a chance at winning,
or $12,000 and a settlement.
The recording industry insists this is a matter of law and morality.
Let’s put the law aside for a moment and think about the morality.
Where is the morality in a lawsuit like this? What is the virtue in
scapegoatism? The RIAA is an extraordinarily powerful lobby. The
president of the RIAA is reported to make more than $1 million a year.
Artists, on the other hand, are not well paid. The average recording
artist makes $45,900. 2 There are plenty of ways for the RIAA to affect
and direct policy. So where is the morality in taking money from a student
for running a search engine? 3
On June 23, Jesse wired his savings to the lawyer working for the
RIAA. The case against him was then dismissed. And with this, this
kid who had tinkered a computer into a $15 million lawsuit became an
activist:
I was definitely not an activist [before]. I never really meant to be
an activist. ...[But] I’ve been pushed into this. In no way did I
ever foresee anything like this, but I think it’s just completely absurd
what the RIAA has done.
Jesse’s parents betray a certain pride in their reluctant activist. As
his father told me, Jesse “considers himself very conservative, and so do
I. ...He’s not a tree hugger....I think it’s bizarre that they would
pick on him. But he wants to let people know that they’re sending the
wrong message. And he wants to correct the record.”
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