US senator investigates RIAA subpoenas

A US senator is investigating the Record Industry Association of America's (RIAA's) policy of hunting down people who swap copyrighted music on peer-to-peer sites.

Senator Norm Coleman has asked the RIAA to provide copies of the subpoenas it issued to internet service providers (ISPs) under the controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Coleman, who is chairman of the Senate's permanent subcommittee on investigations, has expressed fears that the RIAA is being too heavy-handed.

"The industry seems to have adopted a 'shotgun' approach that could potentially cause injury and harm to innocent people who may have simply been victims of circumstance or possessing a lack of knowledge of the rules related to digital sharing of files," he said, according to a report on Hollywood Reporter.com.

The RIAA has issued about 900 federal subpoenas against computer users suspected of illegally sharing music files on the internet, with about 75 new subpoenas being approved each day.

The music industry trade group said that it will comply with Coleman's request.

"It will confirm that our actions are entirely consistent with the law as enacted by the US Congress and interpreted by the courts," the RIAA said in a statement.

"It will demonstrate that our enforcement programme, one part of a multi-pronged strategy, is an appropriate and measured response to the very serious problem of blatant copyright infringement confronting the entire music community."

The move follows the decision by US SBC Communications to sue the RIAA. The ISP claims that the RIAA's use of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act interferes with customer privacy.