MAFIAA

"Music and Film Association of America". Originally came from an Internet prank stating that the MPAA and RIAA had merged. The prank was playing on their harsh "above the law" lobbying efforts against copyright infringement. Examples of this "above the law" lobbying efforts include lobbying for the right to hack, trying to require backdoors in computers by law, and their issuing of notices to individuals regarding alleged copyright infringement. Due to the amount of money and legal force the RIAA and MPAA have, often people will sign self-incriminating agreements to pay a penalty (even if one is innocent). In one case, where a woman decided to instead take it to the courts, the MAFIAA impersonated her daughter's grandmother in order to take her out of school for "counseling". While originally a prank, the abbreviation MAFIAA is used when describing actions and attitudes by the RIAA and MPAA which seem "above the law".