In what could be good news for internet users, the Recording Industry Association of America has said that it will stop suing random internet users who download music without a licence (or who steal it, if one were to use the lingo of popular anti-’piracy’ campaigns).

What the RIAA — which, incidentally, has sued some 35,000 people for copyright infringement over the last five years — now plans to do is to adopt some form of ‘three strike programme’ to curb copyright infringement. It plans to work with — or possibly through — internet service providers to get the job done. It isn’t clear which service providers have agreed to do this.

The Association says that ISPs will send warnings to persons who illegally download music asking them to stop doing so. If the warnings are heeded, well and good. If not, action which could ultimately be the cancellation of the internet connection could be taken against the users concerned.

While the good thing about this is that the suing campaign which was distinctly distasteful should now be over, the bad part is that one can’t help but get the feeling that the recording industry is getting internet service providers to do its dirty work for it in much the same way its been trying to do in Europe. Also, this new strategy does come with a disclaimer: the RIAA has reserved the right to sue internet users, and it has no intention of not pursuing pending law suits.