Verizon is to appeal against a US court ruling that it should reveal the identity of an Internet subscriber to the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). As a first step, the firm yesterday filed a motion to stay the ruling.

RIAA last week won a court order to obtain the name of a Verizon internet subscriber who was said to be very active in the P2P music swapping game. Verizon says the ruling raises important statutory and constitutional issues.

Here is a statement (http://newscenter.verizon.com/proactive/newsroom/release.vtml?id=78657&PROACTIVE_ID=cecfc6cfcec8cdc8c8c5cecfcfcfc5cececfc8cfc6cccfc7ccc5cf) from John Thorne, senior vice president and deputy general counsel for Verizon.

"Verizon will use every legal means to protect its subscribers' privacy. The recording industry brought this case as a 'test case' of its aggressive legal theories. We are seeking a stay so that the Court of Appeals can issue a final ruling on the critical legal issues before we are required to turn over our subscriber's identity.

"If this ruling stands, consumers will be caught in a digital dragnet -- not only from record companies alleging infringement of their copyright monopolies -- but from anyone who can fill out a simple form."

Quite: El Reg's Andrew Orlowski wrote (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/28989.html) recently:

"This week ISP Verizon was obliged to hand over personal details of a customer who the RIAA had identified as downloading MP3 files. As the Electronic Frontier Foundation pointed out today, this blows a Scud through the constitution by permitting "any copyright owner who claims infringement can force an ISP to reveal subscribers' identities merely by obtaining a subpoena from a district court clerk, without any judicial oversight."

In other words, in the best tradition of the Salem witchhunts or the McCarthyite lists, a mere accusation of wrongdoing can land you in the clink."

It's not often that a big telco can be said to be on the side of the angels. Verizon is to congratulated for taking this stance. ®