Recording Industry Sues 532 It Says Were Swapping Music Online

AP ^ | Mar. 24, 2004

[nuconvert]

Recording Industry Sues 532 It Says Were Swapping Music Online

Mar 24, 2004

By Alex Veiga / The Associated Press/

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The recording industry has sued 532 people, including many using computer networks at 21 universities, claiming they illegally shared digital music files over the Internet. The latest wave of copyright lawsuits brought by the Recording Industry Association of America marks the first time the trade group has targeted computer users swapping music files over university networks.

The RIAA filed the "John Doe" complaints Tuesday against 89 individuals using networks at universities in 10 states. Lawsuits were also filed against 443 people using commercial Internet access providers in five states.

The recording group did not name which Internet access providers the defendants were using.

With the "John Doe" lawsuits, the recording industry must work through the courts to find out the identities of the defendants, which at the outset are identified only by the numeric Internet protocol addresses assigned to computers online.

The defendants, which the trade group claims offered "substantial amounts" of music files, face potential civil penalties or settlements that could cost them thousands of dollars. Settlements in previous cases have averaged $3,000 each.

"We are sending a clear message that downloading or 'sharing' music from a peer-to-peer network without authorization is illegal, it can have consequences and it undermines the creative future of music itself," RIAA president Cary Sherman said.

Including Tuesday's filings, the recording industry has sued 1,977 people since launching its legal assault against online music piracy last fall, and has reached out-of-court settlements in around 400 of the cases.

To date, roughly 400 defendants have settled, an RIAA spokesman said.

The recording industry blames lagging music sales in recent years on the rise of online music piracy.

[DeuceTraveler]

The music companies are making less money than the previous year for the first time in pop music history and like any wounded animal they are going to lash out. Maybe they should be put down for the safety of all.

[m1-lightning]

Is this a taxpayer funded event? Somehow I believe it is. Those 532 accused should file a class action lawsuit against the recording industry for wasting our tax dollars.

[WL-law]

Is this a taxpayer funded event? Somehow I believe it is.

No, the RIAA is a private industry association representing the record companies.

[The Great RJ]

The RIAA should quit their bitching and get with the program. I-tunes and now Wal Mart are giving the public what it wants--downloadable single songs for less than a buck each. No more buying a whole album at an inflated price just to get a single song you like. Create a CD with the mix of songs you want to hear rather an album of mostly filler. Retailers no longer will have to devote space and inventory to a limited selection of CDs many of which will go unsold. Above all the new technology allows the buyer to actually listen to all the songs before they buy.

I don't intend to buy anymore CD's in the traditional form.

[BlazingArizona]

Weren't "John Doe" suits ruled out by a previous court? Supposedly the RIAA must specifically identify the people sued before taking action against them.

[August West]

If you don't like the product , don't buy it. How have the record companies been ripping off the consumers? Theft is theft and it ain't the record companies doing the ripping off.

[August West]

I'd rather hear the filler than the "hits". Anyway, MP3s sound like garbage.

[Joey Silvera]

Another thing they did was rush cds on to the market in the late 80s without remastering the original recordings to take advantage of the sonic possibilities of compact disc technology. Then, ten years later, "New! Remastered!!"