The RIAA's Hit List Named

Carpoolio writes "TechTV is the first I've seen to name names in the fight between the RIAA and music downloaders. Using an online court records search service, they've found a number of the subpoenas served by the RIAA to ISPs, which will ultimately end in lawsuits for the people named on this list. Right now, they've published a number of the P2P user names filed with the US District Court in Washington, DC, mainly Kazaa users. Are you on the list?"

Comments

Re:What I'd like to see

[gbulmash]

They don't have to track down the hundreds. They also have IP addresses and ISP identifications for all the users, according to the article. So though the Kazaa ID is generic, they have (or claim to have) specific information to identify the person using that generic ID.

My thoughts, and a simple solution

[Shack95]

1) Boycott the RIAA - Since they've cranked up their customer attacks, Ive stopped buying their product (6 months and counting).

2) Shop via used cd's if you must. It will help show their loss in the upcomming year (used sales are Not tracked). Ebay/Amazon/Local stores/Whatever.

Vote with your wallets people! Stop being hypocritical and buying their stuff while complaining how they stink!!

Re:phew.

[zaffir]

For those that don't know, variations on that name are the default usernames in Kazaa Lite. Let's see the RIAA sue them all...

Re:Always referred to as theft

[Dyolf Knip]

Copyright theft, obviously, would be if I actually stole your copyright. By forging legal transfer documents or some such. You may not know that this is the exact stunt the RIAA tried to pull en masse a few years ago with their 'work for hire' add-on to a congressional bill. IIRC, it would have made the music produced by bands under contract with RIAA members works bought and paid for by the company. The musicians themsevles would have had nothing. That is copyright theft.

Actual Subpoenae at Cryptome

[gui noir]

A full subpoena may be examined courtesy of Cryptome:


http://cryptome.org/riaa-hit.htm

Or, for the lazy:

This is one of several hundred similar subpoenas issued by RIAA recently under the DMCA. Most have been filed in US District Court in the District of Columbia.
US District Court in the District of Columbia

1:03-mc-00273-UNA

Unassigned, presiding

Date filed: 07/02/2003 Date of last filing: 07/02/2003
Entered 07/17/03
LAW OFFICES
MITCHELL SILBERBERG & KNUPP LLP
A PARTNERSHIP INCLUDING PROFESSIONAL CORPORATIONS
TRIDENT CENTER
11377 WEST OLYMPIC BOULEVARD
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90064-1683
(310) 312-2000
FAX: (310) 312-3100
June 30, 2003
Sir or Madam
Comcast Cable Communications, Inc.
3 Executive Campus
Cherry Hill. NJ 08002

Re: Notice of Copyright Infringement (17 U.S.C. 512(c)(3))

Dear Sir or Madam:

We are counsel to the Recording Industry Association of America, Inc. ("RIAA") and its member record companies. The RIAA is a trade association whose member companies create, manufacture, and/or distribute approximately ninety percent (90%) of all legitimate sound recordings sold and distributed in the United States. Under penalty of perjury, we submit that we are authorized to act on behalf of the R1AA and its member companies in matters involving the online infringement of their copyrighted sound recordings.

A user, customer, or subscriber of your system or network, identified by the IP address, date, and time on the attached document, is offering tbr download over the Internet files containing copyrighted sound recordings owned by RIAA member companies. The attached document also includes a representative list of the recordings the identified user is offering for download. We have a good faith belief that such activities are not authorized by the copyright owners, their agents, or the law, and assert that the intbrmation in this Notice of Copyright Infringement is accurate, based on the data available to us.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Should you have any questions, please contact me at (310) 312-3297 or at dmca@msk.com.

[Signature]

Yvette Molinaro
for
MITCHELL SILBERBERG & KNUPP LLP

24.61.155.10 on 6/26/2003 at 11:49:00 p.m.(EDT)

The user at the above-identified IP address, using the screen name Tyler@KaZaA, has offered for download through the online media distribution system known as KaZaA copyrighted sound recordings owned by RIAA member record companies, including the following representative recordings:

Michelle Branch - All You Wanted
Avril Lavigne - Complicated
Radiohead - Just
Incubus - Nice to Know You
Busta Rhymes - Pass the Courvoisier
Sheryl Crow - Soak Up The Sun
Incubus - Stellar
Guns N Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
A PERFECT CIRCLE - Three Libras ...etc

Re:Oh man!

[diersing]

Here is a snipet from my ISP's email they sent today.

Dear Insightbb.com Customer,

There is important information that you need to know regarding the role Insight is required to play in enforcing copyrights.

In 1998, Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) (http://www.loc.gov/copyright/legislation/dmca.pdf ), which allows copyright holders to enforce their copyrighted material by requesting that Internet service providers takedown infringing material or disclose the identity of persons that use the Internet to infringe on copyrights. Representatives of copyright owners routinely scan computers through file sharing software or websites to identify infringers of their copyrights. If Insight is notified by a copyright holder of an infringement, we may be required to notify a customer of the alleged violation and turn off the customers service if the infringement continues. We may also be required pursuant to the DMCA to disclose the infringing customers identity to the copyright holder. This is true for any Internet service provider, whether a broadband or narrowband provider.

Copyright holders are becoming extremely aggressive in pursuing the rights afforded them under the DMCA. Many of our customers are unaware that unauthorized downloading of copyrighted music and movies over the Internet is illegal. File sharing in itself is not illegal, but downloading copyrighted material from the Internet - without proper authorization - is illegal. Such activity is also prohibited by Insights Acceptable Use Policy governing the use of your Insightbb.com High Speed Broadband service.

We also want to caution you that file sharing can be dangerous to your computer. Many of the file-sharing programs include other "sub-programs" built into their software code. When you leave file sharing ports open to the Internet, it may allow others to access and use your computer resources to do a myriad of tasks for their own benefit. Open ports also make you a target for viruses and put your personal information at risk.

Are others receiving these as well? I realize in matters of tracing criminal acts (such as kiddie pr0n, molesters stalking in chat rooms, etc) I would hope ISPs would release names, but in cases of music/movie piracy (and any other crime that doesn't have a *real* victim) I would hope the ISPs would push back on the P2P networks.

Am I the only one that sees a difference between a police agency with a warrant in hand asking who's who and the damn 'copyright holder'? Shouldn't there be a burden of proof before my privacy is violated?