Survey: 56% of U.S. Adults Say RIAA Shouldn't Sue File-Swappers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2004 - 7:09am.

Eagan, Minn. -- A majority of Americans surveyed said the music industry should not sue individuals who illegally download music off the Internet, according to a poll conducted by legal website FindLaw. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has thus far filed suit against over 3,400 suspected file-swappers, with around 600 of these settling out of court for about $3,000 each. FindLaw's survey of 1,000 American adults found that 56% oppose the lawsuits, while 37% support the industry's legal actions. Opposition was more pronounced among 18 to 34-year-olds, nearly two-thirds of whom were against the lawsuits; also more opposed were people with lower incomes. "I suspect that many people, when educated about the purpose of copyright law, support the law," commented Prof. Sharon Sandeen, of the Hamline University School of Law. "Public opposition to the lawsuits may be due, in part, to what some people consider hard-handed tactics by the RIAA."
http://news.findlaw.com/legalnews/lit/riaa/index.html