RIAA Policy Shift?

Signaling a possible dramatic shift in policy, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) told The Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago that it would no longer be prosecuting individual users for suspected copyright infringement. Instead, the RIAA will ask Internet Service Providers (ISPs) of the purported thieves to issue a warning, and then cut off all internet access after three warnings.

This change is likely due to the escalating costs of litigation and the RIAA’s tarnished public reputation. Whether the RIAA will accomplish its goals with respect to copyright infringement will probably be a contentious issue in the U.S. Courts for the next few years.