In tandem with many other copyright industry groups, the RIAA sent its overview of "notorious markets" to the US Trade Representative (USTR) this week. The group lists more than two dozen pirate sites, categorized by stream-ripping, MP3 download and search portals, torrent indexers, cyberlockers, and unlicensed pay-for-download sites.

The RIAA's overview is in many regards the same as last year's. What is new, however, is the focus on so-called "bulletproof" hosting providers. These hosting companies have very lenient policies and protect the identities of their customers. As such, they are often used by spammers, scammers, and also pirate sites. This isn't by any means a new phenomenon, but the RIAA has flagged it as an emerging threat.

"Infringing sites are turning more towards offshore hosting ISPs that support the sites' infringing activities," the RIAA informs the USTR.

"These 'Bulletproof' ISPs support various types of criminality through considerable leniency in the kinds of materials they permit to be uploaded and distributed via their networks."

The problem with these companies is obvious. Ideally, copyright holders want hosting providers to shut down blatantly infringing sites, but these outfits are not responsive to warning letters or infringement notices.

Aside from bulletproof hosting services, the RIAA signals another trend. Over the past year, it has observed a sharp rise in the number of pre-release pirate sites hosted by Nigerians. Apparently, this number has grown to more than 400, and most use the Nigerian-operated ISP speedhost247.com.

By reporting these sites and companies, the RIAA hopes to have them placed on the USTR's final list of notorious markets. This can then be used as a political pressure tool against the countries from where they operate.