] The recording industry can still bring civil lawsuits
] against people who download music illegally, but Friday's
] court ruling will make that more expensive and
] time-consuming.
]
] A federal appeals court said Internet providers, such as
] Verizon, EarthLink and America Online, do not have to
] turn over the names of their customers when music
] companies serve them with a subpoena.
]
] The industry had been relying on such subpoenas to find
] out the names of those they suspect of online music
] piracy. More than 300 lawsuits have already been filed
] against individuals, many of whom have settled for
] thousands of dollars.
]
] Legal experts say the recording industry can still bring
] civil lawsuits against individuals, even without knowing
] their identity, by filing what is known as a "John Doe"
] lawsuit.
]
] Under those guidelines, the industry's lawyers could ask
] a judge for permission to send out subpoenas, legal
] experts said.
]
] "That's a time-consuming and fairly expensive process,"
] said Daniel Ballard, a Sacramento-based intellectual
] property attorney who represents an unidentified woman
] who had sought to block Verizon from releasing her
] identity to the recording industry.

Chalk up one more for the "little guy"

USATODAY.com - Downloading lawsuits getting more costly, time-consuming