RIAA's Boston University Subpoena Quashed 39
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "As first reported by p2pnet, the motion to quash the RIAA's subpoena seeking identities of Boston University students has been granted, at least for the moment. In a 52-page opinion (pdf) the Judge concluded that she could not decide whether or not to quash until she had seen the college's 'Terms of Service Agreement' for internet service. It was only then she could decide what 'expectation of privacy' the students had. She quashed the subpoena calling for the student identities, and told them they could go ahead with a subpoena just for the terms of service agreement. Interestingly the decision was issued on the very same day as the judge in Elektra v. Barker came to some of the same conclusions."
quash this (Score:2, Funny)
That sounds painful... (Score:2, Funny)
Oh? What's that? SubPEONA?
Nevermind.
Getting Closer (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Getting Closer (Score:5, Interesting)
A trial-level court can only make decisions that are binding in the case that it is hearing. Right now the case is in the federal court for the District of Massachusetts. The RIAA could just as easily file a suit against different college students in a different federal court and get a different outcome.
The next stop for this case would be an apellate court. The federal Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is the appellate court that would hear the appeal. If the appellate court rules in favor of the students, then all of the trial courts in a limited geographic area (Maine, Mass, New Hampshire, Rhode Island) are bound. If the RIAA filed outside that area then a different court could come up with a different outcome.
The next stop from the First Circuit would be the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court's interpretation of the laws is binding nationwide. But, the Supreme Court hears less than 1% of the cases that people appeal. The odds of this case setting a national precedent are VERY low.
Of course, other judges can be pursuaded by the reasoning in this case, but there's nothing binding about it.
Re:Getting Closer (Score:4, Interesting)
A trial-level court can only make decisions that are binding in the case that it is hearing. Right now the case is in the federal court for the District of Massachusetts. The RIAA could just as easily file a suit against different college students in a different federal court and get a different outcome.
But precedent is really important where you want to bind other future litigants. When the litigant is the same you can get an order in one court that will bind them no matter where they operate. In this case the same entities are commencing the various lawsuits in the different jurisdictions. The court could enter, for example, an anti-suit injunction against the RIAA to prevent further similar lawsuits if they wanted, and if the RIAA filed the same suit in a different federal court they'd get slapped with contempt in the court issuing the anti-suit injunction.
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Yes, it could, but that needlessly minimizes the point here. When you go to argue a motion to judge, you present not only binding precedents from above but lateral precedents as well. If the reasoning th
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While technically true, binding precedents in other Circuit Courts can be persuasive authority. If all the Circuit courts rule the same way, t
Won't hold forever (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd note that I don't expect these roadblocks to the RIAA getting student's identities to hold forever. It simply isn't permissible in the US legal system to prevent a plaintiff with a legitimate claim from discovering the identity of the person they have that claim against. The best the students can hope for in the long run is to require the RIAA to prove that the IP address and client they have a record of did in fact commit copyright infringement. That's probably a significant hurdle, but if the RIAA clears it then the students will not be able to block discovery of their identities.
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Except that more and more of the claims are being shown to not be legit.
Besides, there are circumstances where such anonymity is a critical point to service or business. Journalist sources, for example.
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I have no problem with this. In fact, I'd love to see the RIAA try to do this, merely for the effect that having actual evidence of copyright infringement would have on these cases.
That said, I will always have sources for free music that the RIAA will never be able to do anything about.
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Re:Won't hold forever (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Won't hold forever (Score:5, Insightful)
That's just it! Prove to me you HAVE a legitimate claim, THEN you can have the name. Else, bringing up any bogus lawsuit would be easy means of finding anyone's identity.
Re:Won't hold forever (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd note that I don't expect these roadblocks to the RIAA getting student's identities to hold forever. It simply isn't permissible in the US legal system to prevent a plaintiff with a legitimate claim from discovering the identity of the person they have that claim against. The best the students can hope for in the long run is to require the RIAA to prove that the IP address and client they have a record of did in fact commit copyright infringement. That's probably a significant hurdle, but if the RIAA clears it then the students will not be able to block discovery of their identities.
So perhaps the courts should be requiring them to demonstrate the legitimateness of the claim first. Especially the highly-questionable joinder of unrelated cases solely for purposes of discovery, followed by dropping of the suit and re-filing individual suits.
Re:Won't hold forever (Score:4, Interesting)
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Re:Won't hold forever (Score:4, Interesting)
2. Judge Gertner's automatic consolidation of each new RIAA case is, in my personal opinion, also contrary to law under these circumstances, and is certainly grossly unfair to the defendants.
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The above post may or may not be worthy of moding up, but moding it down as redundant was stupid.
He's a lawyer, validating (what appears to be) a non-lawyer's posting on a legal issue... seems to me that clarifies the legitimacy of the OP, unless of course, that has no value on /.
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Re:Won't hold forever (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm surprised the Judge is debating whether the school's TOS for internet use trumps FERPA.
Re:Won't hold forever-YOUR ARUGMENT DOESN'T HOLD W (Score:2)
The problem with your argument is that the plaintiffs don't have legitimate claims. They can't prove actual uploading, actual downloading, and making available isn't in the Copyright Act. It's not the filesharer's fault that the law hasn't caught up to their activities, and the RIAA shouldn't be allowed to try and create new law where
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Here's what I found from MITnet (Score:1)
I'm not an MIT student so perhaps one of them will come up a more inclusive document that states the TOS in using their network.
http://web.mit.edu/olh/Rules/#rule_4 [mit.edu]
All in all, what I saw when I read through that was that it DID not say whether or not MIT would surrender any information in case of a lawsuit against the network.
Maybe (Score:3, Funny)
Anyways, the documents I MEANT to find are no where to be found in a quick search. Perhaps someone there can be of use. Anywho, flame me away for my stupidity. Back to drinking!
When all the dust settles (Score:2)
Here's the thing (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Here's the thing (Score:5, Informative)
I actually used that to get my PSP online when it first came out, Wipeout was the only game that could get online, but the simple web browser (something like Links with graphics in terms of capability) couldn't figure out the login page that CU put up.
So, I had a friend change the MAC address on his laptop to that of my PSP, I signed it up as being "mine", and then my PSP worked on the wifi.
So, the the device I used to register the MAC address had absolutely nothing to do with the device that I was using most of the time that actually had that MAC address built in.
A MAC address is about as identifying as a nametag.
terms of use policy (Score:5, Informative)
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So if the TOU says, we'll give first names, or birthdays, or just a big, "it was used on tuesday from 3-5pm by SOMEONE", then that's all the RIAA can ask for. They can't ask to know anything that a student can expect to have protected via the TOU.
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"Boston University reserves the right, without notice, to limit or restrict any individual's use, and to inspect, copy, remove or otherwise alter any data, file, or system resource which may undermine the authorized use of any computing facility or which is used in violation of University rules or policies. Boston University also reserves the right periodically to examine any system and any other r
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