Record Labels to Sue Vuze, Limewire and SourceForge

I wonder if the impact of lawsuits on public opinion is evolving in the age of the Internet?

I don't know the specifics of this suit other than having read this article, but it seems that going after SourceForge is the kind of litigious over-reaching that damages the reputation of the plaintiff. I would make the same argument recent RIAA cases, SCO v. IBM, etc. I recognize that there's legal posturing going on here, and that strictly from the lawyers' perspective, public opinion may be nearly irrelevant (in mundane corporate law, anyway).

But the visibility and transparency of these cases has changed. Vast groups of people can follow these cases in minute detail, get the advice and perspective of interested lawyers, even change the course of the cases themselves (Groklaw). I can't imagine this kind of public involvement with corporate legal cases existed twenty years ago.

My question is this: has the Internet made the position of "suing everyone" -- at least as an opening move -- too risky?

Why stop at SourceForge - they should probably sue Dell, Microsoft and Tim Berners-Lee as well, as I heard a lot of people use PCs, Windows and the internet for activities which potentially infringe record companies' copyright...