Fred von Lohman in the NY Times:

We think it's a particularly outrageous and ill-advised strategy. Suing your best customer is always a bad idea. What we need is a way to better pay artists and to make file sharing legal." On EFF's Web site, the group calls for action — against the RIAA's legal dragnet. "At a time when more Americans are using file-sharing software than voted for President Bush, more lawsuits are simply not the answer. It's time to get artists paid and make file-sharing legal. EFF calls on Congress to hold hearings immediately on alternatives to the RIAA's litigation campaign against the American public," Lohmann said in a statement.

Washington Post on users going underground:

Swapping files online, by all accounts, is more popular than ever. In the past six months alone, no fewer than 50 new versions of 'peer-to-peer,' or P2P file-trading software programs have emerged on the Internet. Unlike some of the most popular services like Kazaa and Grokster, many of them try to shield the identities of their users with password-protected networks, encryption and other tools," the article said, many in an effort to thwart the RIAA. "People who prefer downloading illegally copied files are jumping ship from the big-name networks in favor of these tightly knit communities, said Jorge Gonzalez, co-founder of Zeropaid.com, a Web forum for P2P enthusiasts.

While this appears to be a very dark day for P2P users, this may be exactly the straw that breaks the camel's back and ensures that changes are made to the DMCA, and that the public at large rebels against the RIAA. Can you say boycott?