First RIAA acts like a complete thug to the ISPs by threatening them with legal action if they don't cooperate but now they actually expect the ISP's to be their buddy? RIAAs stupidity borders on perverse.

There are several compelling reasons for ISPs not to co-operate.

One is the fact that most folks get broadband for a reason, that is to be on p2p applications. Without p2p usage we would just as well have 56k and save money. So there would be far less demand for broadband and the money would dry up for the service.

Two is that RIAA started coming in, as you say, like a thug. Demanding that those ISPs turn in their customers within a limited time. Most ISPs don't have huge staffs that they can just let go to do these searches and RIAA in no way offered to pay for the data, the time the employees needed, and for the effort they requested. The ISPs saw that once it started there would be no end to the deluge that was to come.

Three, something the RIAA should have learned, is that customer loyality is a fragile thing. Once damaged, customers go elsewhere and don't return. The US automakers learned this in the mid-seventies and eighties. They lost near 30% of their market share to shabby manufacturing and repair abilities.

Four, the legality of the RIAA's grounds were, are, and since have been proven in court not to be solid. It took challenging in court to remove the financial cloud hanging on the horizon for the ISPs.

Five, I don't think anyone has ever said that the RIAA was brilliant in their applications and methods. Perversely, they are their own worse enemies. I would never have known of p2p without their help in advertising the existance of such programs.

I think what we have here is the ISP's are smarter than the RIAA... See they dont sue there customers LOL!

I've got a whole mess of dog turds out in the backyard that have more sense than the RIAA.

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I am doing my part not buying CD's.. how abut you?

Absolutely, I learned to beat the "buy the ablum again" syndrome when I got a reel to reel in the 70's. Still listening to them and putting them to whatever format that I wish. Other than the lack of choice in paying the RIAA for the prefigured in tax added to the media I buy for recording they don't get a dime more from me. I don't want their crap so they don't get my money with the above exception. They can keep their copyprotection crap that they are ashamed to put on the label to tell you it might not work in your player...

This whole debacle boils down to RIAA = stupid.