Finally, one federal court told the RIAA that the US Constitution applies to them as well.

A federal appeals court ruled Friday the recording industry can’t force Internet providers to identify subscribers swapping music online, dramatically setting back the industry’s anti-piracy campaign. The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned a trial judge’s ruling that enforced a type of copyright subpoena under a law that predated the music-swapping trend.

I especially like this statement from the judges:

The appeals court said one argument by the recording industry "borders upon the silly" — the trade group’s claim that Verizon was responsible for downloaded music because such data files traverse its network.

However, the law under which the RIAA took refuge – the Digital Millennium Copyright Act – doesn’t border on silly; it crosses the line and heads straight for absurd. Among other things, there’s no way a trade organization in this country should be allowed to have the police powers the recording industry has been assuming. Are you listening MPAA?