January 7, 2009 by Mark Isle
It appears that the music industry is beginning to see that it can’t simply sue its way out of the piracy issue. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) have decided not to pursue a raft of new lawsuits against online file sharers, the move marks an industry wide shift in tactics from tackling down-loaders and file sharers head on with litigation to one more focused on education and innovation.
However, they have not simply given in. The RIAA plans to work with Internet service providers to first issue warnings to users who are downloading. Downloaders who are found out will be contacted and informed that if they continue they will risk losing their Internet connections.
This increased cooperation with ISPs is significant, especially considering that the Warner Music Group began exploring a plan last year where providers would impose charges on customer accounts that would amount to a general ‘music license,’ which would allow users to download a certain amount of music. The improved lines of communication between ISPs and the RIAA mean that there is now one less obstacle in the way of this plan.
“Any time you have companies working together on one issue cooperatively, it probably sets a good framework to work together on other things,” said Steve Marks, RIAA general counsel.
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