In a move that many in consumer rights will laud, XM has come out and spoken against the RIAA, and against the lawsuit that the RIAA filed against them. Earlier in the week, the press released they issued covered the lawsuit and XM's intentions, as well as a strike against the RIAA, calling the lawsuit frivolous. Does this mean they will countersue? Probably not, but it does mean they are prepared to fight it and with luck, the functionality of personal XM radios won't be affected by this. In response to the accusations of piracy, XM said this:
Satellite radio subscribers like you are law-abiding music consumers; a portion of your subscriber fee pays royalties directly to artists. Instead of going after pirates who don't pay a cent, the record labels are attacking the radios used for the enjoyment of music by consumers like you. It's misguided and wrong.
Obviously XM is under pressure, because one of their biggest products is being directly attacked, and the ensuing fight between the RIAA and them is one worth watching. Then again, some have gone as far to say that the entire thing is staged. That seems to be reaching, but who knows.