ISPs Jump Into Bed with RIAA

Here is an interesting article giving us a little more information about what the RIAA is expecting from Internet Service Providers (ISP) for giving up individual lawsuits.

RIAA gets in the Christmas Spirit

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) is going to abandon their strategy of mass law suits against individual file-sharers in search of a more effective way to combat illegal file-sharing. The campaign has been a PR disaster for the RIAA and critics say that it has done little to actually stop file-sharing. The RIAA are exploring new ideas that involve (through a relationship with Internet Service Providers) giving users several notices and then shutting off their internet service if they continue to file-share illegally. For a more in-depth article go here.

Commentary:
It is about about time that RIAA realized how ineffective their lawsuits have been. The absolute mismanagement of who was sued and the PR around the law suits has hurt the music industry more than it has helped it by lowering consumer confidence in the industry as a whole. Working with the ISPs is a step in the right direction but the music industry has to come to terms with the fact that the decline in sales has more to do with the decline in the economy and the diversification of entertainment available then with file sharing.

Harvard Law Professor Counter-sues RIAA

Harvard law professor, Charles R. Nesson, filed a counter suit last Friday against the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) challenging the constitutionality of the RIAA’s efforts against those caught downloading music from file-sharing services. Charles Nessos will be defending Joel Tenenbaum, a Boston University graduate student charged in 2005 with downloading seven songs from a file-sharing network. Nesson claims that the RIAA's tactics are “an unconstitutional delegation by Congress of executive prosecutorial powers to private hands”. Though the RIAA did not comment on this specific case, they did say the make “every effort possible to be fair and reasonable”. For more information check out this article from the Harvard Crimson.

The University of Copyright Infringement

As the new school year rolls around, many students may be wondering what Universities are doing to appease the RIAA in the matter of file-sharing. This article explains just that.

RIAA says evidence is not need for infringment cases

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) urged a federal judge on Monday to leave intact the $222,000 verdict against Jammie Thomas in the first file-sharing suit to go to trial. The RIAA argues that evidence of actual distribution (people downloading the files from a shared folder) is not needed, only evidence that the files were available (the files were available in the shared folder to be downloaded) is needed. This brings out an interesting point, the court has said that it is legal to download copies of copyrighted material, and the question remains whether it is illegal to merely upload copyrighted material or to upload it and have evidence of some one downloading it from you. So if you are going to file-share, not making your files available in your shared folder may keep the RIAA off your back. A public hearing is set for August 4. Read more about it at Wired.