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Over 250 file swappers sued by RIAA

8 September 2003 11:41 by Lasse "cd-rw.org" Penttinen | 11 comments

The first wave of lawsuits by RIAA (Recording Industry Association America) has landed upon the chosen 261 Peer-To-Peer file swappers. The worst case scenario is that thousands of more lawsuits will follow in the coming months.

"Our goal is not to be vindictive or punitive," said RIAA President Cary Sherman. "It is simply to get peer-to-peer users to stop offering music that does not belong to them."

It is quite certain that RIAA cannot remove the P2P "issue" by filing law suits one by one. After all, we are talking about a world wide megatrend that millions and millions of people are taking advantage of. But the more aggressive strategy might have some positive side effects, from RIAA's point of view.

The campaign is getting some media attention and this makes people more aware of the legal problems in P2P file sharing. Most importantly RIAA will quite certainly be heard by the companies and corporations and more attention will be directed towards the Internet usage of the employees. Especially larger corporations are now beginning to realize the threat that P2P file sharing creates for them, as they could be a delicious target for the RIAA�s lawyers.

News.com

Permalink to this article

European P2P users to face American-style manhunt? (17 December 2003)

RIAA sues yet another 41 P2P users (3 December 2003)

US Senator criticizes P2P fines (3 October 2003)

RIAA settles P2P lawsuits (30 September 2003)

SBC challenges RIAA's subpoenas (16 September 2003)

12-year-old's mom settles with RIAA, P2P association pays the bill (10 September 2003)

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Discuss this article!
Dela (Staff Member) 8 September 2003 12:27
I hope you enjopy wathcing your cd slaes fall by 60% of last years figures RIAA!! http://www.BillLonero.com - Check out a true artists music! aD channel on IRC: rod.liquidirc.com #ad_buddies Newbie IRC Guide- http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/47221 [ + quote]
A_Klingon (Moderator) 8 September 2003 12:36
Whenever I see the RIAA logo (as above) I keep thinking to myself, it's about time for another RIAA Web-Hack, complete with workable links to free, downloadable .mp3 files. <g> [ + quote]
Shegax (Junior Member) 8 September 2003 13:16
Dude, their spending money and more money on this stupid wich hunt. And that money wont be preplaced. I feel you Dela, everyone knows it. Cd sales will plummet Shega (adrenaline Is the closest Total freedom) [ + quote]
BMD (Newbie) 9 September 2003 8:06
Right on Dela. If someone gets slaped with a $100,000 lawsuite, I don't expect them to buy another album ever again. Various news sources are saying the lawsuits will be in the 1,000's? That's going to create a lot of problems. [ + quote]
coraggio (Newbie) 9 September 2003 9:47
I have been out of the cd buying business for a year. I gave up swapping when I got my first virus on Morpheus. I now download from Apple store (I have a Mac too) and use rip cast on the pc until right run stores are set up there. But I have lots of tunes and a full ipod. I predict, too, that the Cd sales will plummet by 60% and that medium is over as is the day of the RIAA robber barons and the companies that founded it. I was never against paying an artist for his work. SONG BY SONG. Internet downloading is the future. [ + quote]
Toiletman (Senior Member) 9 September 2003 11:31
The worst case scenario is not that thousands of more lawsuits will follow in the coming months, it's something "RIAA" will get hurt, injured or most likely killed. cocks shotgun When you are on your deathbed, you will wonder, "Did I waste my life? Was it worth spending all that time on that?" Do not despair, no one has wasted their life. After all, you can only waste something if you throw it away. And you can't throw life away. [ + quote]
mystic (Member) 9 September 2003 11:46
Well I for one says if they come on my property the rotts are the first line of defenace and my wonderfull gun collection is the second... so come one lets rumble like theres no tomarrow...... hell if any of them had a lick of common cents they'd be workin on a way to bloke the copy proccess like incoding the music with soft ware that would bloke it from being emailed or transmitted to the net kind of anti webbing the music..... but maybe Im wrong but I dont believe they have "Mitagated damages" because the sold a product that one was copyable and second flaude in its security maybe the ones they need to go after is the cd producers for not safeguarding the Artists work ......... peace out Im gone [ + quote]
coraggio (Newbie) 9 September 2003 13:05
The RIAA has all the power structure and Congress and the Government in their pockets. This Digitial Millenium Copyright Act that was pushed through in 98(?) seems to have pulled the rug out from all downloaders or copiers, mp3 or movie, DVD, etc. I'd like to fight but I think I'd lose and they might destroy themselves. [ + quote]
t4duzan (Newbie) 10 September 2003 8:07
i understand that if we download music (and other files) now that we can be sued. i have heard about someone having to have a certain number of files. my question is how do they know how many files you have, and do those files have to be tagged somehow. i've got a lot of files, but i've also ripped alot of cd's, so alot of my music wasn't downloaded. i'm still a bit fuzzy as to how they can determine how much was downloaded and so forth. are there any safe sites that are out there? (emule, winmx)? can anyone fill me in about specifics? thanks in advance. t4 [ + quote]
coraggio (Newbie) 10 September 2003 10:40
To partially answer your question, if you are connected peer to peer and are sharing files, the RIAA trackers follow your trail to your pc and find your files. Files swapped carry some kind of code (called hash marks?) and are identifible as coming from somewhere else. mp3's ripped from your own cd's would not carry the special marking and would be safe, I think. I am not a lawyer or a computer expert. I read everything that is published in the NY Times, WS Journal, Boston.com and Tech TV. From what I have read, the RIAA trackers are chasing those who are sending the files, not those who are taking them, for the moment. They want to throw a scare into the swappers(the mother nest). There is no quantity of files you have to be identified. If they tracked you and you had only a few, you might be put on their list to be sued. I is really the luck (or unluck) of the draw, like getting caught speeding by police radar. Will write more as I know it. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/10/technology/10MUSI.html?th=&pagewanted=print&position= check this times link. You may have to subscribe but it is free. [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 10 September 2003 11:13
Rachel (Newbie) 19 September 2003 7:17
Its terrible but the RIAA, don't track downloads from people living in countries other than America do they? [ + quote]