In Battle of Nerves Against Austin ISP, RIAA Blinks First

Texas hasn't been the most hospitable venue for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to wage its holy war against illegal music swappers, as we saw last year when a San Antonio court ordered it to reduce the fines imposed on a college student.

This time around, the organization formally dropped its subpoena of Austin internet service provider (ISP) Apogee Telecom, which had provided service to a number of "John Doe" students in Rhode Island. The RIAA, hoping to sniff out the true identities of these music traders, had petitioned the ISP for those names. Apogee, calling their bluff, refused, and in a rousing display of bravado, formally filed objections to the subpoena instead.

The RIAA, it seems, was reluctant to pursue the matter, as the Austin court that they would have had to contend with is the very same one that smacked them down back in 2004.

Last week, they dropped the subpoena request and abandoned the lawsuit altogether.

Related:

January 7, 2009, Letter Withdrawing Subpoena (pdf)
Notice of Dismissal Without Prejudice (pdf)
RIAA Backs Down In Austin, Texas