RIAA Sends Letters to 204 File-Sharers, Offering Settlement Before Lawsuit

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 17, 2003 - 4:00am.

Washington -- The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has sent letters to 204 individuals it believes infringed copyrights on music file-sharing systems, encouraging them to contact the RIAA and settle the matter or else face a lawsuit. The decision to notify potential defendants before actually filing suit comes after negative publicity over at least one case of mistaken identity from the RIAA's last round of lawsuits, as well as feedback from several lawmakers who believe the RIAA's methods to be overly harsh. "We take the concerns expressed by policy makers and others very seriously," said RIAA president Cary Sherman. "In light of the comments we have heard, we want to go the extra mile and offer illegal file sharers an additional chance to work this out short of legal action. A portion of a sample letter provided to CNET News.com by the RIAA reads: "We have gathered substantial evidence that you have been using a peer-to-peer network such as Kazaa or Gnutella to download and upload music owned by our clients… We are writing in advance of filing suit against you in the event that you have an interest in resolving these claims through settlement." The letter also warns recipients not to destroy any pertinent evidence -- such as wiping their hard drives of downloaded MP3s -- and lets them know the RIAA will sue them if they do not respond within 10 days.
http://news.com.com/2100-1027-5093078.html
http://www.eff.org/news/breaking/archives/2003_10.php#000997