File-sharers to be 'unmasked'

This may be a little scary to young music fans and file-swappers, and possibly their parents, because the RIAA sues minors too. A federal judge just made the RIAA (Recording Industry Assoc. of America) very happy by granting its request to "unmask anonymous file-swappers accused of copyright infringement," CNET reports. US District Judge Denny Chin ruled that Cablevision, a broadband Internet service provider in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, has to provide the RIAA with the names of customers it's suing for copyright violations. Legal experts say the ruling is "the most detailed so far in any of the many 'John Doe' lawsuits brought by the [RIAA]." The good news for lawyers on the anti-RIAA side was that Judge Chin's analysis of the case ensures that anyone filing suit "must prove they have a real case and aren't merely on a fishing expedition for someone's name."