The thing that I find most disturbing with this latest approach to enforcement by the RIAA is that they have targeted backbone providers who probably don't have any business or other relationship with the parties that are alleged to be infringing the RIAA's rights. Just as

I believe that the problem lies in the indiscriminate ignorance with which Internet and intellectual property laws are being crafted. It is unfortunate that there is such a great lack of judiciary knowledge and an over abundance of ambitious lawmakers seeking to immortalize themselves by fabricating ludicrous laws (I consider Dingell to be their unofficial poster child). Although these laws seem to threaten the vitality of network service providers, there seems to be little resistance or lobbying that is necessary to prevent them in the first place. In my opinion, the RIAA is not unlike a predator that has acquired an insatiable appetite; it needs to be placed on a very short leash. The RIAA is one of the few organizations that have etched out a policy that is overtly alienating the very consumers its members need to survive.

Sorry, I don't mean to pick on Worldcom here, the same could be said for any of the backbone providers that have been targeted. And, perhaps, since several backbone providers have all been targeted, they will work together to put up a rigorous fight on behalf of us all. I sure hope so.

The RIAA is clearly attempting to take advantage of all carriers plagued by the current financial and market conditions. With the lack of adequate attention (or representation for that matter), the odds are more in their favor to establish a precedent that can then be used to terrorize everyone else. Every time I hear the RIAA, or anyone else for that matter, make a reference to the DMCA my blood curls. -Ben