Music bloggers posting parts of Radiohead's In Rainbows album have reportedly received letters from recording industry groups, ordering them to take down the files. Although Radiohead once offered fans the chance to pay nothing for their 2007 album, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) are now targeting sites that provide the songs for free.

This week, Torrent Freak drew attention to two cease-and-desist notices, dated September 2009 and January 2010. In these letters to Google, owner of the Blogspot blogging service, the RIAA and IFPI cited hundreds of blogs sharing material by U2, the Doors, Aretha Franklin, Radiohead and many more. "These recordings are owned by one of our member companies and have not been authorised for this kind of use," claimed the RIAA, which represents major US labels. The IFPI, an international recording industry lobby group, asked for "immediate assistance in stopping this unauthorised activity". Most of the blogs named in these letters have since been removed by Google.

There's nothing new here: the RIAA has been chasing filesharers for years. But would Radiohead really pursue bloggers who post songs from an album the band once gave away? And, more importantly, do the RIAA and IFPI have any right to represent a band who quit their major label, EMI, to go it alone?

The answer to both of these questions is: probably. Although often described as a "free" release, In Rainbows wasn't. Radiohead sold 100,000 £40 "disc boxes", 1.75m CDs, and the band even made money from the digital version, when they asked fans to pay what they could. What's more, the "pay what you want" offer was only available from October to December 2007. In Rainbows is now available on iTunes for £7.99.

As for the RIAA or IFPI, while Radiohead have left EMI, they continue to work with some of the industry's biggest players. For the US release of In Rainbows, the band teamed up with RIAA member ATO Records, an independent label whose distribution is handled through a Sony Music affiliate. For publishing, film and digital rights on both sides of the Atlantic, Radiohead signed a deal with industry behemoth Warner/Chappell.

Even if they have the right, should the RIAA and IFPI pursue filesharers on Radiohead's behalf? These organisations ostensibly represent their members, and Radiohead's position on downloads is, at the very least, ambivalent.