While the article itself overall doesn't tell us anything more than regular readers of RIAA tactics know (in terms of its typical 'dragnet' lawsuits), it does add a subtle twist that perhaps some have not heard of before--that of dropping a suit against the primary defendant--to then go after someone else. Also, it does highlight two lawyers who have successfully defended their clients: John Hermann of Berkley, Michigan (Warner v. Pidgeon) and Lory Lybeck of Seattle (Interscope v. Leadbetter). In both cases, the court forbad any further RIAA harrassment of either defendant.
This is two more in favor of those who chose to defend themselves. Of course, the RIAA's approach does beg the question of "if the RIAA were on the 'right side' of the law, why would the Pidgeon case be dismissed with prejudice, with the RIAA being denied the amendment it wanted to make in Leadbetter? It would appear the judges in these cases saw through the lack of RIAA evidence and at least part of the RIAA tactics. While we won't know exactly 'why' unless either or both judges were to go on the record, we can be sure the RIAA can forget about going after two more people.
