Over the years that we've heard stories of the RIAA going after the little guy for illegal music downloads. Sure, the RIAA has the right to protect the interests of who it represents, but its efforts thus far seem rather… wasteful.
According to documents and figures obtained by P2PNet, the RIAA has spent a exorbitant amount of money defending musical copyrights, but has only raked in a small, minor fraction that back in winnings from infringers.
In 2008, the RIAA paid law firms Holmes Roberts & Owen, Jenner & Block, and Cravath Swain & Moore a combined total of more than $17.6 million. In return, it recovered just $391,000 back from its legal action.
DailyTech tallied up what the RIAA spent on its offensive and compared it against its haul from the pirates. Between 2006 and 2008, the RIAA spent $64 million to get back $1.36 million.
In the end, it seems that the true victor are the lawyers.