Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharers are finding ways to defend themselves against legal challenges from the US recording industry.

An online database created by US civil liberties group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) enables users of P2P sites to discover whether the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has issued a subpoena against them.

It also gives advice on how to avoid being sued.

By checking the name they use for file sharing, users of sites such as Grokster and Kazaa can match them against a list of subpoenas issued in a Washington court.

P2P users will be able to see the name of their internet service provider, a list of songs they have allegedly pirated and their internet address.

If a user finds that a subpoena has been issued, the EFF gives advice on where to go for legal help.

US courts have currently issued over 900 subpoenas on behalf of the RIAA, and the EFF has warned that there is no way of knowing who the RIAA is going to take action against.

The EFF explained that the industry appears to be targeting people who allow their computers to be used as 'supernodes' on the FastTrack P2P System, so the EFF warns against this.

It also recommends that P2P users should have no potentially infringing files in their shared folder.

Users are also advised to disable the 'sharing' or 'uploading' features on P2P applications that allow other users on the network to get copies of files from your computer or scan any of your music directories.

"We hope that the EFF's subpoena database will give people some peace of mind and the information they need to challenge these subpoenas and protect their privacy," said the group's senior lawyer Fred von Lohmann.