In their ongoing legal onslaught against the illegal sharing of music online, the Recording Industry Association Of America have "misidentified hundreds of traders" and "rely on bullying to get results". Now, I should stress, that's not me saying that, but an article on Wired magazine's website (http://www.wired.com).
They report on growing concern in parts of the legal community regarding the RIAA's tactics, arguing the industry association make wild threats against individuals who cannot afford legal advice, and who therefore are tempted to settle out of court, even if they are not guilty of everything the industry association accuses them of doing. Ray Beckerman, the attorney representing Patricia Santangelo, one of the accused fighting the RIAA's litigation, told Wired: "My impression is that the majority of those sued are innocent. Prior to retaining lawyers, when [defendants] talk to the [RIAA] settlement support center, they are threatened with criminal prosecution, ruin of their credit, publication of their names".
The report also calls into question how successful the RIAA legal onslaught has been. It quotes 'industry insiders' who say that of the 14,000 lawsuits so far initiated, only 3300 have settled. They say that the number of lawsuits is now so high it is not practical for the industry association to actually take that many people to court. And if any of those defendants who are now disputing the lawsuits have court success, there will be little incentive for the 10,000+ accused that are left to settle, making the whole venture very expensive but not very effective.
Of course, that's just our interpretation of what Wired are saying. The RIAA argue that their legal campaign against those nasty file sharers is moving along just swell, and who are we to argue with the glorious RIAA?