A mounting battle between Harvard University and the RIAA will have to wait until January, thanks to a procedural decision issued this week.  Just recently, Harvard Law School professor Charles Nesson offered to defend accused file-swapper Joel Tenenbaum, a graduate of Boston University.  The first hearing was initially scheduled for Monday, though Nesson is apparently not legally permitted to argue in a Rhode Island court.  

That pushes the hearing to January 6th, according to information shared by Harvard Law School.  "This just further underscores how deeply unfair it is to pit the powerful Goliath RIAA legal infrastructure against the small David, or Joel, defendants," Nesson said. 

The Rhode Island venue creates some complications, and the Nesson team is now trying to find a local lawyer.  "The goal, before Jan 6th, is to get an attorney licensed to practice in Rhode Island to argue on our behalf," student Debbie Rosenbaum told Digital Music News.  In the meantime, the RIAA will have access to a Tenenbaum household computer, an early victory for the trade group.