- Not really. The attempts by the RIAA and MPAA and similar organisations are pretty pathetic. Sure, they can bully a network into giving them access to see information about IRC users, but that provides no proof of an actual filesend of illegal content.
What a load of old cobblers. I don't know of any IRC network that would go against their privacy policies to 'feed' the record industry associations around the world. Even a court wouldn't be able to force the handover of information because these associations are just citizens like you and me, composed of self-appointed representatives not government/law enforcement bodies.
As for the evidence, all one has to assume (and this is the most likely scenario that I can think of) is that a record industry representative simply joins a filetrading room and logs filenames from a bot's advertising banners. It's not half obvious that is a bot advertises !Michael Jackson - Thriller.MP3 that the song would actually be that song and not an uncopyrighted song disguised with that name.
What more proof is needed?
