Appeals Court Stays RIAA Subpoena

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has stepped in and issued a temporary stay of the RIAA's subpoena for the identity of a student at the State University of New York in Albany. The student, 'John Doe #3,' had filed an appeal and motion for stay pending appeal, arguing that the appeal 'raises significant issues, some of first impression' (PDF), such as the standards for the use of ex parte procedures for expedited discovery, the scope of the First Amendment right of anonymity over the internet, the scope of the distribution right in copyright law, and the pleading requirements for infringement of such right."

Comments

Slashdot, then and now

[bonch]

Slashdot in 2000:

"Suing Napster is stupid! The RIAA should be going after individual copyright infringers. If they just did that, there wouldn't be a problem."

Slashdot in 2009:

"Suing individual copyright infringers is evil! The RIAA should do nothing while everybody pirates everything under the sun. That way, I can keep getting shit for free without feeling guilty."

Re:Slashdot, then and now

[TheRealMindChild]

No one is contesting that the RIAA should not be going after the copyright infringers. It is how they are going about it. They are gaming the legal system, going after innocent people knowing that almost NO ONE has the means to fight back. It is pretty much an extortion free-for-all.