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The Recording Association of America's Web site was knocked offline over the weekend in what appeared to be a denial-of-service attack, an RIAA representative says Tuesday.

The group's site, at RIAA.com, was inaccessible for portions of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday after being inundated by scores of machines trying to make simultaneous connections to the Web site, the representative says.

The denial-of-service attack began a day after a new RIAA-backed bill was introduced. The proposed legislation aims to crack down on peer-to-peer piracy.

Safe Harbor

The bill, introduced Thursday by U.S. Representative Howard L. Berman (D-California), proposes a safe harbor for copyright holders to employ technological means to protect their works.

Under the proposed legislation, copyright holders would be able to employ technological tools such as file blocking, redirection, spoofs, and decoys, among others, to curb piracy.

Although the proposed bill has stirred controversy among privacy proponents, the RIAA representative did not link the attack with its support of the legislation.

The RIAA's site resumed normal operations Monday.

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