RIAA To End Law Suit Offensive ?

[GhostShip]

If true this is good news for all filesharers 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122966038836021137.html?mod=igoogle_wsj_gadgv1&

After years of suing thousands of people for allegedly stealing music via the Internet, the recording industry is set to drop its legal assault as it searches for more effective ways to combat online music piracy.

Instead, the Recording Industry Association of America said it plans to try an approach that relies on the cooperation of Internet-service providers. The trade group said it has hashed out preliminary agreements with major ISPs under which it will send an email to the provider when it finds a provider's customers making music available online for others to take.

Depending on the agreement, the ISP will either forward the note to customers, or alert customers that they appear to be uploading music illegally, and ask them to stop. If the customers continue the file-sharing, they will get one or two more emails, perhaps accompanied by slower service from the provider. Finally, the ISP may cut off their access altogether.

The RIAA said it has agreements in principle with some ISPs, but declined to say which ones. But ISPs, which are increasingly cutting content deals of their own with entertainment companies, may have more incentive to work with the music labels now than in previous years.
The new approach dispenses with one of the most contentious parts of the lawsuit strategy, which involved filing lawsuits requiring ISPs to disclose the identities of file sharers. Under the new strategy, the RIAA would forward its emails to the ISPs without demanding to know the customers' identity.

Lets be honest whats forced the RIAA to come to the table has been the downturn of their sales, when its confirmed that this news is genuine I think we can all rejoice at delivering a major and public rebuke to the recording industry for their out of control lawsuit strategy that was indiscriminate and reckless as to what damage is caused on many lives, financial and otherwise.

[Lagerlout666]

Yay lets watch the music industry move from one failed attempt to another more crappy way of attacking us. If the davenport lyons case's of mass suing on finding IP's sharing files are something for them to look over and see that that doesn't work too, now poor innocent people are going to get emails from their ISP and possible restricted speeds for doing absolutely nothing. I look forward to seeing this happen as much as im enjoying watching Which consumer group starting to rip the back out of davenports.

[Trestor]

What is needed now is that ISPs don't cave in to RIAA demands. I've said it before:
RIAA benefits to ISP's - Nil;
RIAA legal power authority over ISP's - Nil;
ISP responsibilities to RIAA - Nil;
Consumers pay ISP's - Lots;
Consumer legal power over ISP's - Contractual;
ISP's responsibilities to Consumers - Plenty.

ISP's have no obligation to do anything for the RIAA. I hope that any ISP that gets into bed with the RIAA will be dumped quickly by as many consumers as possible, and I hope that most ISP's won't play patter cake with the RIAA at all.

If the RIAA want to protect copyright, then let them first clean their own house, by contracting equitable deals with artists, creating equitable deals with the music buying public, and allowing a fair degree of people sharing the property they own, as used to be the case before they had the law rewritten to their exclusive benefit.

When they show they are willing to play by fair rules, they may earn some respect. The RIAA needs to wake up to the fact that the current situation is one of their own making, nothing short of fairness, honesty and equity by them will cause the problems to be resolved.

[GhostShip]

Very well put Trestor

[GhostShip]

Seems others are taking notice of this new publicity scam designed to dig themselves out of a well deserved black hole.

http://newteevee.com/2008/12/19/why-the-end-of-the-riaa-lawsuits-wont-change-anything/

Some major ISPs have apparently already agreed to take part in a graduated response program: Share once, and you’ll get a slap on the wrist. Get caught the third time, and your contract gets canceled.

Mathew Ingram over at GigaOM thinks this is a bad idea because it privatizes copyright enforcement, meaning that alleged offenders won’t have any clear recourse when they’re wrongly accused. That’s true, and definitely something to be worried about, but it’s not exactly new. ISPs took on the role of copyright cops a long time ago; for some, the new agreement only formalizes policies that are already in place. And not much changes for the users, either. They can still get sued, despite the agreement. And yet, they will still continue to share music, and a whole lot of video as well.

Another fine peice from Janko Roettgers, there is plenty more info to be read in the same article.

[SDL365]

We just got one of the two broadband ISPs hooked up at my house. So afr it;s in my wife;s computer and not mine..they "forgot" to tell us how much extra it is to hook up two puters.

Befire you use WinMX, just disconnect the broadband and use dialup (as long as it isn't one of the two ISPs named in the article..mine isn't)

Any idea who are all the ISPs that are kissing the RIAA's ass?

[GhostShip]

Road Runner and Cox are mentioned in the article SDL 365

[SDL365]

Road Runner and Cox are mentioned in the article SDL 365

 
I meant to phrase that as who are the *OTHER* ISPs besides Cox & TimeWarner (Road Runner). My wife just got broadband from one of the two above on her 'puter; I have to get a router hooked up to mine. I'm keeping my dial-up so when I use WinMx, I can just disconnect the router and use my regular ISP. It'll be slower than broadband, but I can live with it.