RIAA Announces New Round Of Music Theft Lawsuits

WASHINGTON, DC - February 28, 2006 - Continuing its ongoing efforts to protect the recording industry's ability to invest in new music and further the success of legal online services, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), on behalf of its member companies, today announced a new round of copyright infringement lawsuits against 750 individuals.

The “John Doe” lawsuits filed today cite individuals for illegally distributing copyrighted music on the Internet via unauthorized peer-to-peer services such as LimeWire and Kazaa. In addition to the new “John Doe” litigations, the major music companies filed lawsuits earlier this month against 210 named defendants in Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

“For legal online services to continue to break new ground, we must do our part to protect the integrity of the marketplace,” said Cary Sherman, President, RIAA. “Just as we continue to educate fans about the right ways to enjoy music online, we will continue to enforce our rights through the legal system. Songlifting is not without consequences.”

Specifically, lawsuits with named defendants were filed in: Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, and Santa Ana, California; Atlanta and Newnan, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Ann Arbor, Bay City, and Detroit, Michigan; Trenton, New Jersey; Brooklyn, Central Islip, New York, and White Plains, New York; Allentown and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Amarillo, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, Galveston, Houston, Laredo, McAllen, San Antonio, Victoria, and Waco, Texas; Alexandria, Newport News, Norfolk, and Richmond, Virginia; Seattle, Washington; and Green Bay and Milwaukee, 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.