RIAA to begin searching file sharing networks on Thursday
 

Music Labels Step Up Internet Piracy Hunt

WASHINGTON -- The embattled music industry disclosed aggressive plans Wednesday for an unprecedented escalation in its fight against Internet piracy, threatening to sue hundreds of individual computer users who illegally share music files online.

The Recording Industry Association of America, citing significant sales declines, said it will begin Thursday to search Internet file-sharing networks to identify users who offer "substantial" collections of mp3 music files for downloading.

It expects to file at least several hundred lawsuits seeking financial damages within eight to 10 weeks.

Executives for the RIAA, the Washington-based lobbying group that represents major labels, would not say how many songs on a user's computer will qualify for a lawsuit. The new campaign comes just weeks after U.S. appeals court rulings requiring Internet providers to identify subscribers suspected of illegally sharing music and movie files.

The RIAA's president, Carey Sherman, said tens of millions of Internet users of popular file-sharing software after Thursday will expose themselves to "the real risk of having to face the music."

"It's stealing. It's both wrong and illegal," Sherman said. Alluding to the court decisions, Sherman said Internet users who believe they can hide behind an alias online were mistaken. "You are not anonymous," Sherman said. "We're going to begin taking names."

Country songwriter Hugh Prestwood, who has worked with Randy Travis, Tricia Yearwood and Jimmy Buffett, likened the effort to a roadside police officer on a busy highway.

"It doesn't take too many tickets to get everybody to obey the speed limit," Prestwood said.

Critics accused the RIAA of resorting to heavy-handed tactics likely to alienate millions of Internet file-sharers.

"This latest effort really indicates the recording industry has lost touch with reality completely," said Fred von Lohmann, a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "Does anyone think more lawsuits are going to be the answer? Today they have declared war on the American consumer."

Sherman disputed that consumers, who are gradually turning to legitimate Web sites to buy music legally, will object to the industry's latest efforts against pirates.

"You have to look at exactly who are your customers," he said. "You could say the same thing about shoplifters -- are you worried about alienating them? All sorts of industries and retailers have come to the conclusion that they need to be able to protect their rights. We have come to the same conclusion."

Mike Godwin of Public Knowledge, a consumer group that has challenged broad crackdowns on file-sharing networks, said Wednesday's announcement was appropriate because it targeted users illegally sharing copyrighted files.

"I'm sure it's going to freak them out," Godwin said. "The free ride is over." He added: "I wouldn't be surprised if at least some people engaged in file-trading decide to resist and try to find ways to thwart the litigation strategy."

The entertainment industry has gradually escalated its fight against piracy. The RIAA has previously sued four college students it accused of making thousands of songs available for illegal downloading on campus networks. But Wednesday's announcement was the first effort to target users who offer music on broadly accessible, public networks.

The Motion Picture Association of America said it supported the efforts, but notably did not indicate it plans to file large numbers of civil lawsuits against Internet users who trade movies online.

MPAA Chief Jack Valenti said in a statement it was "our most sincere desire" to find technology solutions to protect digital copies of movies.

Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., who has proposed giving the entertainment industry new powers to disrupt downloads of pirated music and movies, said the RIAA's actions were overdue. "It's about time," Berman said in a statement. "For too long ... file-traffickers have robbed copyright creators with impunity."

The RIAA said its lawyers will file lawsuits initially against people with the largest collections of music files they can find online. U.S. copyright laws allow for damages of $750 to $150,000 for each song offered illegally on a person's computer, but Sherman said the RIAA will be open to settlement proposals from defendants.

"We have no hard and fast rule on how many files you have to be distributing ... to come within our radar screen," Sherman said. "We will go after the worst offenders first."

The RIAA declined to estimate how much it expects to spend on the lawsuits.

I like how I can download anything I feel like, but I can't share it. Fun times.

Hmmm so does this mean im gonna have to start buying music? that sucks. Whats nexp? Paying for content. What a fucked up world

Wait til they get a load of all the porn on Kaaza. Maybe that will keep them distracted.

Time to stash your MP3 collections!

LOL

It's disturbing..
If I like sometimes 9/10 I buy it.

But music.. I mean honestly those guys cannot say they haven't downloaded something for their own personal use without it being "Experimental" or whatever the fuck they wanna call it..


Sorr y but :ak47: :ak47:

I think everyone would admit they don't spend money buying music as much as they used to because of all the free MP3's on the Net. I know I haven't bought any new CD's in the past few years.

:1orglaugh

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That is incredibly stupid. Although I can sympathize with them, the ratio of error to liability is far too high.

Just 'one', just 'one' friggin' mistake like they sue some minor and find out it was his own bought stuff he had uploaded to his own storage space and was using a p2p to get his shit and it'll result in a counter lawsuit of great magnitude.

What they need to do is hit the networks that provide p2p. Force p2p to be single user only as explained above.

Same goes with yahoo groups, message boards etc. There's so much file sharing going on it's pathetic. Yet it'll be easier to get the groups than the individuals who p2p. It'll be a lotta manpower and laser precision data compiling to make their claim work.

I pity the fool who makes that 'one' mistake though.

I never share so what do i care.

Good for them, I don't see much differance between file sharing and the password trading we all bitch about.

Got any Necro?

Nope.

Shoot me login and pass info where you want that stuff uploaded to. [email protected]

PLease make it on a cable connection or better.

labret by posting what you did you expose more then you actually realize.. far beyond kazaa and napster shit.. seriously delete that shit bro

i spoke to you on ef before, and offered you music.. keep the stuff you posted to yourself, let them target kazaa

very valid point. moment of weakness. crime of passion. forgive me.

thanks =]

ill go on now, if you need anything msg me on this nick

The real problem is CD burners. Hey, you got that new Linkin Park CD? Yeah? Let me borrow it for 10 minutes. You can have it right back.

P2P.... Good luck putting together a full album off those networks unless it's a Billboard Top 10 band, and even then it can take a few days of looking to get them all.

Besides, the typical bitrate being traded is 128bit, and that's less than FM radio quality. You don't see a whole lot of 256-320bit songs on those.

and whats the deal with used cd stores?

We buy promos all the time, sometimes even before they are released, at a used cd store up the road.

They put a tower records out of business that was next door.

Because nobody with a brain would spend $15.99 for something they can get for $8.99.

fuck retail.

I hope they go after warez next. I legaly own my photoshop. How about you guys?

They been trying to stop warez for yeeears.

Never gonna happen.

And nope, my Photoshop is registered to Ted Danson

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