Wired is reporting that RIAA is stalking again. This time it has targeted a service provider. But I think this time RIAA has made a mistake. To most regular users, usenet is not a regular place to hang out. There are thousands of news groups that provide whole plethora of news services. But it is not very popular and mostly academics use the service. Usenet is one of the oldest Internet service. Usenet (User Network) is a global, decentralized, distributed Internet discussion system that evolved from a general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name. It existed since 1979! As the description goes, no body runs it. So who is RIAA sueing? Usenet.com, of Fargo, North Dakota, is one company that redistributes the usenet feed for a subscription fee.
But what will happen is, this suit will give publicity to USENET and millions more will learn about it. So even if RIAA wins the suit, it might have already lost the game.
"The suit comes two weeks after the RIAA won its first pirating jury trial targeting an individual. A Duluth, Minnesota jury ordered Jammie Thomas to pay the RIAA $222,000 for pirating 24 songs on the Kazaa system in 2005.
The usenet.com case marks a dramatic shift in the RIAA's recent litigation strategy -- targeting an alleged facilitator of copyright theft instead of an individual pirate. The RIAA has sued more than 20,000 people on allegations of copyright theft."
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