“Hmm, what can we do to INCREASE file sharing?”

“I know – we’ll threaten to sue them all, alienate everyone and watch the files fly!” Good thinking RIAA:

The Recording Industry Association of America’s announcement on June 25 that it will start tracking down and suing users of file-sharing programs has yet to spook people, say developers of these applications.

“Forget about it, dude — even genocidal litigation can’t stop file sharers,” said Wayne Rosso, president of Grokster, one of several systems that allow users to upload and download files — many of which are unauthorized MP3 copies of songs published by the RIAA’s member companies. Rosso said file-trading activity among Grokster users has increased by 10 percent in the past few days. Morpheus, another file-trading program, has seen similar growth.

Maybe MP3 downloaders are interpreting the recording industry’s threat — an escalation from its earlier strategy of targeting file-sharing developers — as a sort of “last call” announcement.

….the number of users seems to have grown last week.

“Anytime you get media attention, you get people interested to try it out,” said Michael Weiss, chief executive of Streamcast Networks Inc., which developed Morpheus.

Weiss said he’s also seen a surge of postings on Morpheus message boards from users who are ticked off at being in the RIAA’s cross hairs. “People are just outraged at the actions of the recording industry,” he said. “I’ve got people saying they want to organize groups to boycott buying CDs now.”

Weiss said the recording industry should lobby for special taxes on CD burners and Internet access as a way to recoup losses incurred from file sharing, an idea that Grokster’s Rosso also supports. [Washington Post]

It’s the only long-term solution, like it or not.