In a twist on the old tale of the RIAA suing teenagers for downloading music, Nettwerk Records (Canada) has offered to pay the legal bills of one family who has vowed to challenge the RIAA in court. The Gruebels, a US family, are accused by the RIAA of downloading a whole host of songs, including works by various Nettwerk artists. The label has agreed to foot the bill for Chicago lawyer Charles Mudd Jr., who will defend the family in court and has already argued several cases on this issue. Terry McBride, CEO of Nettwerk, explained in a statement that he does not see how lawsuits help the industry, the artist, or the consumer.

"Litigation is not 'artist development.' Litigation is a deterrent to creativity and passion and it is hurting the business I love. The current actions of the RIAA are not in my artists' best interests."

The RIAA claims that the family needs to pay US$9,000 to make the problem go away, but the bill will be graciously reduced to US$4,500 if the Gruebels pony up soon. Nettwerk will pay the bill if the family loses the case.

McBride has shown himself to be something of a maverick in the music industry. In addition to arguing against the RIAA's campaign of lawsuits, McBride has also expressed his displeasure with current DRM solutions—especially on copy-controlled CDs.

"The average consumer who's not tech-savvy is going to buy the CD, thinking that they can load it onto their iPod," he said last year. When consumers find out that won't work, "they're going to be royally pissed off. Why do you want to piss off the people who buy?"

How much of a difference can Nettwerk's stand make in the industry? They're one of Canada's largest labels, managing artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Avril Lavigne, and Barenaked Ladies (in addition to Guster and Ron Sexsmith, two criminally underappreciated acts), so they can certainly contribute to the debate surrounding these issues and get their voice heard. That said, though, they just aren't in the same league as the big five labels, who appear to think that their worldwide legal crusade needs to be stepped up a notch or two. If bad press hasn't stopped the RIAA and IFPI (the worldwide music trade group), a bit of displeasure coming from Canada probably won't do much either.