RIAA’s Sherman Issues Rebuttal to Shapiro Address

Record label hand-puppet Cary Sherman (otherwise known as the president and general counsel of the RIAA) has taken the bait dangled by Consumer Electronics Association CEO Gary Shapiro, and issued a tiresome, point-by-point rebuttal through CNET News.com.

No surprises to be found, of course, as Sherman dutifully rejects the Fair Use, Betamax, “no tangible harm” and First Amendment arguments. As usual Sherman portrays himself as the defender of creative artists, labors mightily to prop up big media’s notion of intellectual property rights, and earns his half-million dollar annual salary by accusing Shapiro of sophistry (look it up).

There’s also a nice picture accompanying the screed, dude looks like Gray Davis’ retarded cousin.