RIAA Files News Lawsuits Against 750 Illegal File Sharers

WASHINGTON - October 28, 2004 - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), on behalf of the major record companies, brought a new round of copyright infringement lawsuits against 750 illegal file sharers, including 25 users on 13 different university campuses.

In addition to the 750 “John Doe” litigations, 213 separate lawsuits were filed against named defendants -- individuals who were already identified through the litigation process and then declined or ignored an RIAA overture to settle the case before it proceeded any further. Illegal file sharers sued today were using unauthorized peer-to-peer services such as eDonkey, Kazaa, LimeWire and Grokster.

The university computer networks used by the 25 illegal file sharers include:
Bloomsberg University, Grinnell College, Hamilton College, Indiana State University, Iowa State University, Michigan Technological University, Ohio Northern University, SUNY College at Morrisville, Ohio State University, University at Albany, State University of New York, University of Minnesota at Duluth, University of Southern Mississippi, University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh.

“Our legal efforts help build an essential foundation for the continued development of the legal online music marketplace,” said Cary Sherman, President, RIAA. “On that count, we continue to see promising developments.”

Sherman pointed to the RIAA’s recently released mid-year numbers which show that 58 million single tracks downloaded or burned from a licensed service for the first half of 2004. As a reflection of the continuing emergence of the legitimate marketplace, the RIAA yesterday handed out the first-ever Gold and Platinum awards for digital downloads.

“In order for legitimate services to continue their growth, we cannot ignore those who take and distribute music illegally,” added Sherman. “There must be consequences to breaking the law or illegal downloading will cripple the music community’s ability to support itself now or invest in the future.” Lawsuits against named defendants were filed in federal district courts in: California, Illinois, Arizona, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio, Illinois, New York, Michigan, and Washington.

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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.