Music Industry Files New Lawsuits In Ongoing Enforcement Against Online Theft

WASHINGTON, DC - November 30, 2005 - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), on behalf of the major record companies, today announced a new round of copyright infringement lawsuits against 754 individuals, including computer network users at 12 colleges.

The “John Doe” lawsuits filed today 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, Georgia, Missouri, New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Also included in this latest round of litigation are lawsuits against individuals at the following schools: Boston University, Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, New York University, Ohio State University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of California – Berkeley, University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and the University of Pittsburgh.

“Enforcing our rights against both businesses and individuals engaged in online music theft is a key component of our overall effort to discourage illegal downloading and encourage fans to turn to legal services,” said RIAA President Cary Sherman. “These lawsuits have helped to contain illegal peer-to-peer use during a period of phenomenal broadband growth. They have helped to establish clear moral and legal rules of the road, weed out the bad actors and give lift to a robust legitimate marketplace. While this remains a marketplace with much room to grow, there is no question that these lawsuits have already altered the digital landscape for the better.”

In addition to the “John Doe” lawsuits filed today, music companies filed lawsuits earlier this month against 81 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 Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; Bridgeport and New Haven, Connecticut; Rock Island, Springfield, and Urbana, Illinois; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Asheville, Charlotte, and Statesville, North Carolina; Brooklyn, Central Islip, New York, and White Plains, New York; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Providence, Rhode Island; Alexandria, Virginia; and Madison, Wisconsin.

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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.