The RIAA\'s battle against the P2P networks seems to be bogged down. Networks such as eDonkey, FastTrack, Piolet, and others are stronger than ever, as the lashes the P2P community received from the blows of the RIAA have strengthened their resistance to attack. Now, while the RIAA contemplates what to do with the recently gained identities of alleged copyright infringers, they are faced with the crisis of how to convince a major portion of the population that what they are doing is wrong.

The RIAA has tried everything. They have taken down the big centralized networks, most notably Napster. They have flooded networks with files that look like they are one thing but are really just FAKES. They have even contemplated ways of attacking the computers of users of file-sharing networks. They have attempted to extend the laws covering copyright infringement to the act of file-sharing itself, denying any legitimate use -- there is no legitimate art to them that is not copyrighted. They have sent letters to corporations and institutions to try to convince them of the misconception that these networks in and of themselves are illegal.

Nothing has worked for them.

So according to a recent N.Y. Times article, they are taking their battle in two directions. First, they are going to try to legitimize the technology so that we will be offered a great selection of music for just a buck a song. Second, they are going to do something with these identities that they are getting from ISP\'s like Verizon and Earthlink. The problem is what to do with these P2P users.

According to U.S.A. Today, the RIAA has no public plans for what they are going to do with the alleged thieves. Can the RIAA be wondering how 43 million other thieves - who don\'t consider themselves thieves - are going to react when they begin trying to send all those millions of people to court proceedings? They must be. Their silence is speaking. They are testing, watching, instilling fear. They are in a real pickle now, however. They have got to make an example of these people or there will be nothing to stop us all from doing what we feel we should be able to do. But what kind of backlash will that bring?

Therein lies the RIAA\'s Dilemma.

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Entertainment Industry :: RIAA

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USA Today Article

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