The RIAA as a den of thieves

In the beginning, the Recording Industry Association claimed that they would not interfere with fair use.  Now it seems (according to Technology Review) that they will try through the DCMA rule making process to stop a fundamental principle of fair use by trying to prevent shifting of legally purchased material from being shifted to another medium.  For example, they would seek to prevent a person from making a back up copy of material.  Why should we not be surprised?