Oregon daily emerald., June 06, 2002, Page 9, Image 9

Record industry
sues Audiogalaxy
[U-WIRE] AUSTIN, Texas — A
group of recording and music pub
lishing companies have filed suit
against Austin-based Audio-galaxy
Inc., alleging the company was
“knowingly, willfully and inten
tionally designed” to enable its
users to unlawfully copy millions
of copyrighted songs.
Audiogalaxy allows its users to
share music files over the Internet us
ing technology similar to Napster's.
University of Texas graduate Michael
Merhej founded the company in
1998. Napster, a peer-to-peer music
file sharing service, was forced to
shut down in 2001 under legal pres
sure from the music industry.
The Recording Industry Associ
ation of America and the National
Music Publishers Association
filed the lawsuit representing nu
merous record labels, including
Sony music, Motown Records and
Interscope Records.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court
in New York City, asks for $150,000
for each title shared and requests a
court order to stop Audiogalaxy
from enabling the trading of copy
righted songs. Merhej is also named
as a defendant in the suit.
Matt Oppenheim, senior vice
president of business and legal af
fairs for the RIAA, said the litiga
tion was a last resort.
“Audiogalaxy and Napster are
cut from the same cloth,” Oppen
heim said in a written statement.
Audiogalaxy has a filter in place
to block copyrighted songs, but Op
penheim alleges this filter is “total
ly ineffective.”
The suit also accuses Audio
galaxy of enabling its users to
download entire albums, cover art
and software.
“Audiogalaxy's system is even
more egregious than that of Nap
ster,” the complaint said.
Audiogalaxy did not return calls.
— The Daily Texan
Courtesy photo
Mother
continued from page 7
that her husband had cheated on
her, Luisa asks if she may join them
on the trip.
On the surface, the film only
seems like an excuse to watch the
characters pee and try to get laid.
The film is billed as a romantic
comedy, but there is nothing ro
mantic about watching the boys
spanking their monkeys by the
poolside or prematurely ejaculating
when trying to get it on with Luisa.
Although it is kind of funny.
Some Internet reviewers have
even criticized this film as being
racist, showing Mexicans as stereo
typically uneducated, sex-crazed,
drugged-up party animals. But then
again, that is a commonly accepted
stereotype of teenage behavior.
The three travelers develop their
friendship while on the road to
ward the fictional beach. Then
Luisa seduces both boys, sparking
arguments between them that re
veal a long history of past cheating
with each other’s girlfriends.
Luisa is an intriguing, multi
faceted character. She shows both
strength and weakness in the film.
While she is with the boys, she sets
the rules and instigates the erotic
interludes with Julio and Tenoch,
but she hides the pain of leaving
her cheating husband.
Luisa also remains a bit of a mys
tery throughout the film. The boys
are shallow characters, and we
learn all there is to know about
them. But Luisa’s character has a
depth that is never fully explored.
Although we learn a lot of informa
tion about her, there seems to be
more to her story. The audience
can’t help but laugh as the boys
stumble through the awkwardness
of learning about life and sex. But
the film also touches on the seri
ousness of issues such as discover
ing one’s sexuality, the importance
of friendship and the suffering of a
poverty-stricken nation. However,
the characters are so caught up in
their own problems that they drive
through poor, desolate areas of
Mexico oblivious of the poverty
that surrounds them.
Unlike the characters, the audi
ence sees both the rich and poor
side of Mexico. While driving
through the military check points
on the way to the beach, the boys
warn each other not to look out the
windows at the armed officers. But
the camera follows the long lines of
Mexicans as they trudge along the
side of the road with everything
they own on their backs. Luisa and
the boys turn a blind eye to the
poverty of their nation, and they
seem to be unaware of the surpris
ing generosity of people who have
so little to give.
Although audiences may laugh
through most of the movie, they are
left with a touch of sadness at the
end of the film. The weird mixture
of the characters’ self-absorption
against a backdrop of larger life is
sues makes the film seem unbal
anced, yet real at the same time.
“ Y T\i Mama Tambien” is showing
at the Bijou Art Cinemas. The film is
in Spanish with English subtitles.
E-mail reporter Jen West
at jenwest@dailyemerald.com.
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