The grinchly heart of the RIAA expanded to three times its normal size recently. The much-maligned Association announced that it is going to stop suing individuals in its efforts to prevent piracy. Although the RIAA still reserves the right to sue particularly heavy file sharers, it is putting a halt to the mass-litigation program that affected 35,000 people since its inception in 2003.

So why the abrupt the change of heart? In addition to being almost completely ineffectual, this program was a PR nightmare for the RIAA, who, since 2003, sued several single mothers, a 13-year-old girl, and even a dead person. The program will be replaced by a cooperative initative with internet service providers, who will forward e-mails to offending customers asking them politely to stop filesharing. If the request is ignored, the consequences range from slower internet service to discontinued internet service.  Much less headache than getting sued for millions, I'd say.