Judge Says First Amendment Not Absolute Protection For File Swappers

from the sounds-about-right dept

In yet another case concerning whether or not the RIAA has the right to get the names from service providers of people sharing unauthorized files online, the judge has said that the First Amendment does not protect those users against being identified, though, he does recognize the First Amendment issues at hand. It appears the ruling tries to restore some balance to the whole concept by making it clear that the RIAA or others need to show some compelling reasons to believe that a particular individual is engaged in something illegal in order to get the name, and can't simply go on a fishing trip.

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