The RIAA throws its weight around

Well, who ever said Grokster wouldn't be a big thing? The events of the past two weeks would be enough for them to eat their words pretty quickly.

The RIAA was the center of attention in recent news. First, the Association issued Cease-and-Decist letters to seven undisclosed p2p filesharing networks. Two of them, WinMX and eDonkey, buckled under the pressure, and closed their doors.

But that victory wasn't nearly enough to satisfy the zealous, Grokster-charged RIAA. In a slew of suits which rivals the massive pirate hunt of 2003, the RIAA has filed suits against 757 college students. The record industry is on the warpath.

And they've got support in Washington. Last session's proposed antipiracy bill is cropping up again, though it seems at this point as though Congress may just let the courts shuffle around with the issue for a bit longer before stepping in with any legislation.