RIAA Will Drop Cases If You Point Out That An IP Address Isn't A
Person
For years, the RIAA has claimed that having the IP address of a
computer that has shared unauthorized files is the equivalent of
having the evidence of who was actually sharing files.
That, of course, is false.
The IP address simply can help you know who paid for the internet
access, but not who was using what computer on a network.
In fact, this even had some people suggesting that, if you want to
win a lawsuit from the RIAA, you're best off opening up your WiFi
network to neighbors. It seems like this strategy might actually be
working.
Earlier this month the inability to prove who actually did the file
sharing caused the RIAA to drop a case in Oklahoma and now it looks
like the same defense has worked in a California case as
well.
In both cases, though, as soon as the RIAA realized the person was
using this defense, they dropped the case, rather than lose it and
set a precedent showing they really don't have the unequivocal
evidence they claim they do.
The RIAA certainly has the legal right to go after people, even if
it simply ends up pissing off their best fans and driving people to
spend their money on other forms of entertainment -- but, if they
want to do so, they should at least have legitimate evidence.
It's good to see that some are finally pointing out how flimsy the
evidence really is.
