Harvard Law Teacher fights back against RIAA

Charles Nesson, a Harvard Law school professor is fighting back by defending a Law student alum that was recently targeted by RIAA. Nesson argues that RIAA is unconstitutional because it lets a private group carry out civil enforcement of criminal law.

Nesson, the founder of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, said in an interview that his goal is to "turn the courts away from allowing themselves to be used like a low-grade collection agency."

The music industry group isn't conceding any ground to Nesson and Tenenbaum. The RIAA has said in court documents that its efforts to enforce the copyright law is protected under the First Amendment right to petition the courts for redress of grievances. Tenenbaum also failed, the music group noted, to notify the U.S. Attorney General that that he wanted to contest the law's constitutional status.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081117/D94GM61G1.html