My worst pet peeve about digital music coverage is the way Reuters and other publications consistently report that people are being sued for downloading music, when that has never happened. Rather, the RIAA brings suits against those who are sharing files; if you are downloading only (a.k.a. leeching), you don't need to worry about a lawsuit, unless the RIAA changes its targets to include those who download. But every time I read a Reuters article on P2P, it mistakenly conflates the downloading and sharing of files, resulting in (some would say convenient) consumer confusion about what it takes to get sued.
The RIAA's lawsuits are based on the idea that those who share songs are infringing on the copyright owner's exclusive right to distribute the song; to go after downloaders, the RIAA would have to accuse an individual of infringing on the copyright owner's exclusive right to make a copy. Apparently, penalties for distributing are higher than they would be for downloading. Another reason they go after uploaders is that it's easier to take a snapshot of the files shared by a certain IP address that it would be to finger those downloading the content.
For whatever reason, the RIAA has never sued anyone for downloading music, although that fact continues to be lost on Reuters.
