Joe Downloader Catches a Break

Since 2003, the Recording Industry Association of America has sued 35,000 people for sharing copyright-protected songs. More often than not the defendants have been the Joe Downloaders of the Internet, nothing more than casual file-sharers. The RIAA has announced that it is abandoning this litigation program. Why? Because the legal costs of the lawsuits are now exceeding the settlement money they bring in. No profit, no future suits. But the RIAA plans to continue pressing on with existing cases. Details on The First Amendment Center. [JH]