ACLU Files to Block RIAA Subpoena for Identity of Boston College Student

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 30, 2003 - 9:43am.

Boston -- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed motions in federal court that aim to counter the recording industry's current subpoena and lawsuit campaign against alleged music file-swappers. On Monday, the ACLU and a Boston law firm asked a federal court to quash a recording industry subpoena filed to obtain the identity of a Boston College student from the school, in connection with alleged copyright infringement. The ACLU said in court papers that the provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that allows the streamlined subpoena process currently being used by the RIAA in its anti-piracy legal campaign is "totally lacking in procedural protections," making it "an invitation to mistake and misuse." "We're not saying the recording industry shouldn't go after file sharers, only that they must do so in a way that's fair," said ACLU staff attorney Christopher Hansen.
http://www.aclu.org/Privacy/Privacy.cfm?ID=13802&c=251
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/29/business/media/29aclu.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1027-5083800.html?tag=cd_top