For all music file sharing users:

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Let's Go Devils and Celtic

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WASHINGTON (June 25) - 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.

AP-NY-06-25-03 1717EDT

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
 
oh boo hoo. we're not running out and buying albums just so some fatass record label exec can keep the money all for themselves while their artists continue to get pissed on.
 
> 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.

[sarcasm]
Right, right. Presumably this is a country bumpkin thing that doesn't apply to governments, who are still collecting mind-boggling amounts of revenue from speeding fines, despite record numbers of tickets being issued.
[sarcasm]

Regarding the subject matter, the crackdown is never going to extend to people sharing 500 files or less due to the sheer numbers who fall into that category. I really can't see it having much impact on the typical P2P user.
 
You are very sensible and I find that very attractive.

You could spread me over a car hood, my dear.
 
What i find funny is...they say we steal from them???? how about them charging us..you know" the consumer" almost 20 bucks for a cd that has what..maybe 1 good song on it???? then what?? we cant take the piece of shit back to the store,we're stuck with it now. Plus,dont these "brainiacs" know...the minute they try to shut down these sites...10 more sites will pop up???? They'll never stop it...... It cannot be done...They thought they won with napster...what happened???? sites like: kazaa,limewire,bearshare,winmx,morpheus showed up. The record industry is mad at us????? f*** you!!!!! we should be mad at them for f***ing ripping us all off for years!!!!!!
 
Exactly....artists have to re-coup the millions fronted to them by going out on tour...anyone who knows something about the recording industry knows...the fat ass execs are out to rip off the f***in fans and the artists?? 9 out of 10 times...doesnt make shit off the record unless they sell 10 million...even then they dont. Nice try RIAA///you're preaching to the wrong people here.
 
Good call..and as I said before...they'll nefver stop it...10 more sites will pop up as soon as they shut these down....good try RIAA...you've f***ed too many fans for too long...poor f***s are btiching because they wont get their bonuses this year??? my heart bleeds for you ass clowns!!!! hey,here's a thought: why not lower the cd costs to like 9-10 bucks???? it doesnt cost that much to make a cd,who you foolin???? and 85 % of the shit out now...you'd have to pay me to buy........
 
ABOUT F-ING TIME!!!!!!!

Copyright rocks.
Piracy is theft.
 
Copyright rocks?

You'll be composing rap lyrics to commemorate the Bill of Rights next.
 
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