I wouldn't hold out much hope on them succeeding in this regard, though it'd big news if they did. But whatever - the people behind leading P2P application LimeWire (which is still P2P-du-jour with the kids, I think) have launched a countersuit against the Recording Industry Association Of America.
As previously reported, having enjoyed much success in their battle against US based P2P companies since the landmark MGM v Grokster ruling in the Supreme Court last year, the RIAA began legal proceedings against LimeWire, currently one of the most popular sources of illegal music, last month.
In their counterclaim, launched this week, LimeWire executives Greg Bildson and Mark Gorton accuse the RIAA of "anticompetitive practices" and "consumer fraud". They say the record industry trade body has deliberately and unfairly refused to do business with them in a bid to control the digital distribution sector. The counter suit says: "The counter-defendants have unreasonably and concertedly refused to do business with LimeWire", and is attempting to "prevent the use of decentralized peer-to-peer technology for the secure distribution of licensed, copyrighted content".
The counterclaim goes on to say the record labels unfairly favour a small group of companies with whom they have forged alliances. They say: "The counter-defendants have concertedly promoted the distribution of licensed content through companies in which many of the counter-defendants and business affiliates have or had direct equity interests, such as MusicNet, pressplay and Roxio, or through business entities that they have a relationship with, such as iMesh or Mashboxx".
Tellingly, LimeWire's counterclaim does not seem to deal directly with the RIAA's original accusations, that the P2P encourages and profits from the illegal sharing of copyrighted music via their system.