RIAA Sues Another 754 Music File-Swappers for Copyright Infringement

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 17, 2004 - 10:45am.

Washington -- The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced on Friday that it has sued another 754 alleged Internet song-swappers for copyright infringement, bringing the total number of individuals sued by the group to over 7,000. The "John Doe" suits, which will seek to obtain the identities of the peer-to-peer users from their Internet service providers, were served against individuals in seven states and the District of Columbia, including students at Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and four other schools. "With legal online retailers still forced to compete against illegal free networks, the playing field remains decidedly unbalanced," said RIAA president Cary Sherman. "That's why continued enforcement against individuals stealing and distributing music illegally is essential, as is holding accountable the businesses that intentionally promote and profit from this theft." The RIAA is currently embroiled in an Australian copyright case against Sharman Networks, operator of the Kazaa file-sharing exchange, and recently received word that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear its appeal of a federal court ruling that found file-sharing networks are not liable for any copyright infringement committed by users of their software.
http://www.riaa.com/news/newsletter/121604.asp
http://tinyurl.com/3q6m5