IFPI Sues 247 Music File-Swappers in Denmark, Germany, Italy and Canada

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 30, 2004 - 4:02am.

London -- The worldwide recording industry expanded its legal campaign against file-swappers beyond the U.S. on Tuesday, as the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) announced that it has sued 247 individuals in Denmark, Germany, Italy and Canada for copyright infringement. The group's U.S. counterpart, the Recording Industry Association of America, has sued nearly 2,000 U.S. citizens for allegedly offering music for download on file-sharing services like Kazaa. The IFPI said its current lawsuits were only the first wave, with additional suits soon to be filed in other countries. "This is the start of an international campaign against online copyright theft, and it is the logical next step in the fight against piracy, coming after our extensive education and warning campaigns of the last few months," said IFPI chairman Jay Berman. The IFPI noted that more than 600,000 consumers in Europe have tried the emerging legitimate download services offered there, which offer a catalogue of 300,000 tracks from 50 legal online sites.
http://www.ifpi.org/site-content/press/20040330.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-5181872.html