Another flaw in RIAA consumer lawsuits: Faulty ISP records

Filed in archive Legal , RIAA, IFPI , Technology on January 9, 2007

RIAA copyright infringement lawsuits are based on an incomplete and faulty chain of evidence. After alleged infractions have been detected, the next step in the RIAA litigation process is identifying the Internet subscriber associated with the incident. RIAA contacts the ISP, which provides this information, almost always without court order or subscriber notice or permission.

It is a deeply flawed process. Over 30% of the time ISPs cannot identify a subscriber. Now there is a public case where RIAA has discontinued a case (Warner v. Maravilla) because the ISP returned the wrong person.