Verizon Wins against RIAA Subpoenas

EFF has the scoop.

Washington, DC - In a victory for Verizon and the privacy of Internet users, the D.C. Circuit Court today dismissed the recording industry's subpoenas for user identities. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed nearly 3,000 subpoenas in Washington, D.C., as a prelude to lawsuits against 382 alleged filesharers. The court today ruled that those subpoenas are not authorized by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

"Internet users are the winners in the Verizon case," said Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Staff Attorney Wendy Seltzer. "The effect of the appeals court decision is that we do not lose our privacy simply by connecting to the Internet. The ruling stops the record labels from taking our free speech rights as collateral damage in the campaign against the American music fan."

EFF filed an amicus brief supporting Verizon on behalf of 45 consumer, privacy, and Internet industry groups.