Worldwide Music Industry Coordinates Its Strategy Against Piracy

Washington, DC - October 28, 1999 - The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry today announced a coordinated global strategy against music piracy. As part of this global initiative, recording companies and associations worldwide will work together to ensure that music piracy cannot escape detection by crossing borders.

As part of this global effort, the Recording Industry Association of America will continue its targeted enforcement aimed at removing pirate music from the Internet. “Internet piracy is no different than producing counterfeit compact discs,” said Frank Creighton, RIAA Senior Vice President and Director of Anti-Piracy. “Theft of creative rights is neither fair, nor legal, no matter how you do it, and we have been working aggressively to protect the rights of artists and recording companies on and offline.”

The RIAA’s online anti-piracy program targets sites that make pirated music widely available. Once a site is identified, the Internet Service Provider hosting the infringing songs receives a notice, after which the site is usually taken down promptly. Based on the Digital Millenium Copyright Act’s (DMCA) expedited subpoena provision, the RIAA is now also sending out information subpoenas as part of an effort to track and shut down repeat offenders and to act as a deterrent to those hiding behind the anonymity of the Internet. Prior to enactment of the DMCA, it was difficult to learn the identity of those posting pirated material. Information subpoenas provide a streamlined process to work with the ISPs to identify those individuals. “Our goal is to discourage repeat offenders,” said Creighton. “We are doing a good job finding pirated material and having it taken down, but the same people are bringing back new sites. We are hopeful that information subpoenas will discourage this activity.”

Information subpoenas require the Internet Service Provider (ISP) providing access to a particular site to provide contact information for the site operator. The RIAA will then use that information to send notice that the site must be removed. RIAA will also require the individual to pay an amount designed to help defray the costs of the RIAA Internet anti-piracy program, including the administrative costs of the subpoena process. “The costs of piracy, like the cost of theft in all industries, is borne by the industry and by other consumers,” said Creighton. “It is entirely fair and appropriate in this case that these offenders bear the administrative costs of their own illegal activity.”

In addition to a team of Internet Specialists, the RIAA also uses a 24 hour automated web crawler and works closely with Internet posting services. “These services don’t want to support pirate activity any more than they’d want their own technology or content to be stolen,” said Creighton. “In addition, often the pirated files are placing a huge burden on their networks, taking up valuable server space and bandwidth, and slowing down the service for all users.”

The RIAA is a trade association whose members create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 90% of all legitimate sound recordings produced and sold in the United States. The anti-piracy division of the RIAA investigates the illegal production and distribution of sound recordings that cost the music industry hundreds of millions of dollars a year domestically. Consumers, retailers and replicators can report any suspected music piracy to the RIAA by dialing a toll-free hotline, 1.800.BAD.BEAT, or sending email to badbeat@riaa.com.

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The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is the trade organization that supports and promotes the creative and financial vitality of the major music companies. Its members are the music labels that comprise the most vibrant record industry in the world. RIAA® members create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legitimate recorded music produced and sold in the United States.

In support of this mission, the RIAA works to protect the intellectual property and First Amendment rights of artists and music labels; conduct consumer, industry and technical research; and monitor and review state and federal laws, regulations and policies. The RIAA® also certifies Gold®, Platinum®, Multi- Platinum™ and Diamond sales awards as well as Los Premios De Oro y Platino™, an award celebrating Latin music sales.