The RIAA Tried To Outlaw MP3 Players In 1998!
Can you imagine a life without an iPod (or a smartphone, nowadays)? Well, if the Recording Industry Association of America had had its way in 1998, MP3 players would have been banned from sale. Here's what happened:
The RIAA filed a lawsuit in late 1998 against Diamond Multimedia for it's Rio players, saying that the player encouraged copying music illegally. Diamond won a legal victory on the head of the Sony Corp. V. Universal City Studios case and digital audio players were legally ruled as electronic devices. The RIAA was basically trying to outlaw MP3 players. Our world would be very different had they succeeded. You might actually get to talk to your family on road trips still.