CatPuke, Deathstalker, dansmug and sylvainw used our newssubmit to tell us that major music companies are preparing to mount a broad new attack on unauthorized online song-swapping. The campaign would include suits against individuals who are offering the largest troves of songs on peer-to-peer services.
This would be part of a larger campaign that would also include artists calling for the stop to piracy, and it's not even sure if every company will join the lawsuits, as AOL is afraid to lose costumers of their dial-up services and BMG is still thinking about launching the file sharing service Napster.
Filing suits against individual users is complicated. Entertainment companies frequently hire services that specialize in tracking copyrighted material online. But to get the name of an individual user, they have to send a subpoena to that person's Internet-service provider. |
Even for the ISP, linking the Internet address to a name can be complex. Moreover, it's hard to verify which person was logged on to an Internet connection at a given time.
If the target of a suit turned out to be under 18, he or she would likely be liable. Under certain circumstances, the parents could also be liable.
As you see, there are a lot of issues in sueing individuals, but never underestimate the power of the record industry. Unfortunately these campaigns and lawsuits will probably cost a fortune, maybe could raise the CD prices to pay for it ?
Source: MSNBC.com
