RIAA backs down on granny charges

THE RIAA has backed down in its file-sharing case against a grandmother who had her life wrecked by Hurricane Rita.

However, it is not out of the kindness of its heart. Although Ms Crain claimed she had never been file sharing and had been displaced by the Hurricane, that had not been enough of a defence to stop the music industry.

But what seems to have changed the RIAA's mind is her counter-claim that the RIAA was using an unlicensed investigator to snoop on her.

RIAA court cases have featured the expert testimony of security outfit MediaSentry. It is the outfit which has provided the RIAA with evidence that people have been pirated music.

However MediaSentry is not allowed to snoop on punters in Texas because it is not a licensed private investigator.

It appears that the RIAA has realised that Ms Crain's counter-claim has legs and it stands to lose a lot of P2P cases that depend on MediaSentry evidence.

MediaSentry's snooping status was also questioned in a case in Oregon a couple of weeks ago . It appears that the RIAA fears that if a Judge rules that MediaSentry spying is illegal than all its cases will go belly up.

More here. µ