] Weiss says the RIAA wanted to send a deterrent message
] others who had similar services up on their college
] campuses. "Nobody is above the law," she said. "And that
] is the important thing to remember here."

If these search engines are really search engines and not simply used for piracy then the RIAA, apparently, is above the law.

Messages sent:
1. In the United States of America you get exactly as much justice as you can afford.

2. The financial details of a court settlement are more important then the moral details.

3. The RIAA will get you even if what you are doing is only tangentally related to their interests.

ABCNEWS.com : Record Industry Targets Teen Programmer