New Round Of Music Industry Lawsuits Targets 754 Internet Thieves

WASHINGTON - August 31, 2005 - In an ongoing effort to protect the record industry's ability to invest in new bands and new music that fans want to hear, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), on behalf of its member companies, today announced a new round of copyright infringement lawsuits against 754 Internet thieves.

These “John Doe” lawsuits cite individuals for illegally distributing copyrighted music on the Internet via unauthorized peer-to-peer services such as Grokster, KaZaA, and LimeWire. The litigations were filed in federal district courts across the country, including in: California, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

“The message of the Supreme Court’s recent Grokster ruling is clear: both the businesses that encourage theft and the individuals who download songs without permission can be held accountable,” said RIAA President Cary Sherman. “Illegal uploading and downloading takes a tremendous toll on our industry as a whole – from songwriters losing their jobs to record stores closing their doors – and directly affects our ability to invest in the next generation of music.”

In addition to the “John Doe” lawsuits filed today, music companies filed lawsuits earlier this month against 156 named defendants. The names of these individuals, whose Internet Protocol (IP) addresses were previously identified in “John Doe” lawsuits, were subpoenaed from their respective Internet Service Providers (ISP).

These lawsuits were filed in federal district courts in Little Rock, Arkansas; Los Angeles, Riverside, Sacramento, and San Francisco, California; Denver, Colorado; Miami and Tallahassee, Florida; Atlanta, Columbus, and Valdosta, Georgia; Honolulu, Hawaii; Des Moines, Iowa; Chicago, Illinois; Evansville, Fort Wayne, Hammond, Indianapolis, Lafayette, and South Bend, Indiana; Baltimore, Maryland; Duluth, Minneapolis, and Saint Paul, Minnesota; Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Statesville, Wilmington, and Winston Salem, North Carolina; Concord, New Hampshire; Newark and Trenton, New Jersey; Binghamton, New York, and White Plains, New York; Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo, and Youngstown, Ohio; Muskogee and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Erie, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania; Columbia, Greenville, and Spartanburg, South Carolina; Abilene, Austin, Beaumont, Dallas, El Paso, Forth Worth, Houston, Laredo, San Angelo, San Antonio, Sherman, Waco, and Wichita Falls, Texas; and Charleston, West Virginia.

#####

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.