�THE BIG recording companies, working through their trade association, the Recording Industry Association of America, are moving toward filing copyright lawsuits that would target the highest volume song providers within the services, which allow people to grab songs without paying artists or labels, according to people with knowledge of the matter,� said MSNBC in their report. �The suits would be part of a broader effort, including a public campaign that may feature prominent artists urging music fans to respect copyright rules.� 

Up to this point the RIAA has aimed their legal guns towards the companies that provide the technology or service that fans use to swap illegal files. The best-known case was when the RIAA succeeded in shutting down the widely popular Napster. To this point they have not gone after the individual fans who use these services or software to trade the illegal MP3 files out of fear of a backlash but it appears they are now ready to go after the biggest traders. 

Quoting inside sources, MSNBC�s report said that the RIAA, �is still in the early stages of planning its efforts. The labels are discussing what actions should trigger such suits, including exactly what a music uploader would have to do to become a target. The details and scope of the PR push also haven�t been resolved.�

So it doesn�t appear that this will happen tomorrow but may start very soon. MSNBC�s sources said that the major record companies in a meeting of the RIAA a few weeks ago agreed to �move toward preparing suits that would focus on individuals who supply the biggest amounts of music, as well as so-called �supernodes,� or people who provide the centralized directories that enable online music-sharing.�

It appears that the two largest record companies Vivendi Universal and Sony Music are the biggest supporter of this new tactic but other record companies that are part of the RIAA are apprehensive especially AOL Time Warner, who could end up suing their own customers who use their online services to connect to the internet and swap the illegal MP3 files. 

Another aspect of this new effort will be to educate fans by having major recording artists go on record urging fans to respect copyright laws. Artists are reluctant to take such a stance since other artists, most notably Metallica, faced a backlash from fans when they took on this issue previously. 

Will these new tactics help curve the flood of illegal MP3 trading or has Pandora�s box already been opened? Time will tell. 

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MSNBC Article