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Naked Bicyclists, Accused Pirates, and the Laws of Innocence

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It’s not every day you get to say, “I’d rather be a naked bike rider than a music pirate.” But today may be one of those days.

In today’s Oregonian (byline: Anne Saker, 6/27/07, p. B2): Naked bike rider takes on wheels of justice:”

“The whole point of the World Naked Bike Ride, the Rev. Phil Sano said Tuesday, is that bicyclists are vulnerable in traffic, and he was ready to go to court on that point this week. He had a videotape. He had witnesses. He had a poster of a bare-breasted woman with the scales of justice in one hand and a bike lock in the other.

Then the district attorney dropped the charges.

“It was a little stunning and then frustrating,” he said. “Suddenly, it’s like, some mysterious force just says, ‘Oh. Of course you’re innocent.’ ” …

Also in the Oregonian today (byline: Ashbel Green, p. A1): Woman: I’m no music pirate:

“Suit – A Beaverton mom says the record industry terrorized her with bogus claims:

A disabled single mother from Beaverton has filed a federal lawsuit against the Recording Industry Association of America, claiming that she is the victim of abusive legal tactics, threats and illegal spying as part of an overzealous campaign to crack down on music pirating.

The recording industry sued Tanya J. Andersen, 44, in 2005, accusing her of violating copyright laws by illegally downloading music onto her computer. Andersen claims in a suit she filed last week in U.S. District Court in Oregon that the recording industry refused to drop its case after its own expert supported her claims of innocence….”

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