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RIAA presses Verizon for name of peer-to-peer subscriber
- Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2002 10:55:57 -0600
- To: politech@politechbot.com
- Subject: FC: RIAA presses Verizon for name of peer-to-peer subscriber
- From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-954658.html
Music body presses anti-piracy case
By Declan McCullagh
August 21, 2002, 6:54 AM PT
ASPEN, Colo.--In what may become a new legal front in its war against
online copying, the Recording Industry Association of America has
asked a federal court for help in tracing an alleged peer-to-peer
pirate.
On Tuesday, the RIAA asked a federal judge in Washington, D.C., for an
order compelling Verizon Communications to reveal the name of a
customer accused of illegally trading hundreds of songs. Citing
privacy concerns and potential legal liability, Verizon has refused to
comply with a subpoena the RIAA sent last month.
"It's not that they don't want to turn over the name," said Mitch
Glazier, an RIAA senior vice president. "It's that they don't want to
be liable for turning over a subscriber's name."
Until now, the entertainment industry has relied on civil lawsuits
aimed at corporations, not individuals, to limit widespread copyright
infringement on peer-to-peer networks. Now, however, the RIAA is
revising its strategy and appears ready to sue individuals swapping
songs over the Internet.
At issue in the RIAA's request is an obscure part of the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that permits a copyright owner to send
a subpoena ordering a "service provider" to turn over information
about a subscriber. It is not necessary to file a lawsuit to take
advantage of the DMCA's expedited subpoena process.
[...]
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