Latest Round Of Music Industry Lawsuits Targets Internet Theft At 17 College Campuses

WASHINGTON - September 29, 2005 - On behalf of the major record companies, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) today announced a new round of copyright infringement lawsuits against 757 individuals engaged in Internet theft, including computer network users at 17 different colleges.

These “John Doe” lawsuits cite individuals for illegally distributing copyrighted music on the Internet via unauthorized peer-to-peer services such as eDonkey, Grokster, Kazaa and LimeWire. In addition, lawsuits filed in this round against university network users target students using the file-sharing application i2hub to download and distribute music on the advanced network infrastructure of Internet2.

Today’s litigation marks the third time the music industry has taken action to combat theft on Internet2’s specialized, high-speed university computer network, for a total of 560 lawsuits at 39 campuses this year.

“The authority of the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in the Grokster case should not be ignored by students returning to campus this fall with sights set on free music,” said RIAA President Cary Sherman. “Both the businesses that encourage theft and the individuals who download songs without permission can be held accountable for their illegal actions. Those who continue to engage in this online theft pose a direct threat to the music community’s ability to invest in new bands and the new music that fans want to hear. These lawsuits are an important part of our defense against that threat.”

Included in the new round of litigation announced today are lawsuits against individuals at the following schools: Boston University, Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, Drexel University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, Princeton University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of California – Berkeley, University of California – Los Angeles, University of California – San Diego, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Pittsburgh.

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property hearing, where chairman Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) and ranking member Howard Berman (D-Cal.) said they will ask the Government Accountability Office to examine in detail why individual universities are having varying degrees of success combating piracy. In preparation for this hearing, the Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities – comprised of leaders representing universities, higher education organizations, and music and motion picture executives – issued a new report to Congress last week outlining the latest efforts to address illegal file-sharing on campuses and the emerging challenges ahead.

“The spotlight on illegal downloading on college campuses is shining brighter each day,” said Sherman. “We are grateful for each and every initiative that brings attention to this problem and moves the ball forward. We, too, will continue to do our part.”

In addition to the “John Doe” lawsuits filed today, music companies filed lawsuits earlier this month against 163 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 against named defendants were filed in federal district courts in Los Angeles, Oakland, Riverside, San Francisco, San Jose, and Santa Ana, California; Chicago, Illinois; Duluth, Minneapolis, and Saint Paul, Minnesota; Durham, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh, Wilmington, and Winston Salem, North Carolina; Camden and Newark, New Jersey; Brooklyn, Central Islip, and New York, New York; Akron, Cleveland, and Youngstown, Ohio; and Allentown, Easton, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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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.