The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed more lawsuits Tuesday against individuals who use peer-to-peer networks to download copyrighted music files for free, including some D.C.-area college students.
A total of 532 people are included in this new round of lawsuits. This includes 89 students who used networks at 21 colleges, including George Mason, George Washington and Georgetown universities.
This action against large groups of defendants is taking place despite a recent ruling by a federal judge in Philadelphia who refused to grant subpoenas against anyone but the first defendant on the list. Each defendant must be tried individually because the defendants are not working together, U.S. District Court Judge Clarence Newcomer ruled.
The RIAA has been filing "John Doe" lawsuits, meaning that the defendants' names are unknown.
Instead, they are listed by the Internet Protocol address that identifies each individual computer. Then the recording companies can subpoena Internet service providers to get the names and street addresses of the defendants.
The RIAA has been bundling the lawsuits against individuals accused of illegal file sharing by their Internet service providers, meaning that there have been large groups of defendants sued each time.
Filing individual lawsuits individually would cost the RIAA about $150 per person.
Newcomer's ruling was about a case of 203 defendants who used Comcast for their ISP.
The RIAA is asking the court to reconsider its decision. Courts in Georgia and New Jersey have granted subpoenas for lawsuits filed at the same time as the one in Philadelphia.
The RIAA has sued approximately 2,000 people since last fall. Cary Sherman, the organization's president, urges music fans to search for legal ways to download songs.
"Piracy, which is particularly rampant on college campuses, continues to hurt retailers, musicians, producers, record labels and the thousands of less-celebrated individuals involved in making music," Sherman said.
Music industry sales have decreased 30 percent in the last three years, with an estimated $5 billion loss worldwide.
However, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has called the lawsuits a threat to "every Internet user's civil liberties."
Some students at AU have also expressed frustration at the recording companies' resolve to prosecute illegal file sharers.
"I don't think the lawsuits are a good idea," freshman Stephanie Massaro said. "Where are they going to draw the line? What are they going to do about me handing someone else my CD so they can burn it?"
The record companies send letters to defendants accused of illegal file sharing, offering to settle with them before legal action continues. Settlements have typically been in the range of $2,000 to $4,000.
The RIAA had to start using the "John Doe" litigation system in December after a court decision said the record companies could no longer use "information subpoenas." These involved filling out a one-page form and paying $35, then receiving the subpoena from a court clerk.
In these cases, the RIAA would also bundle names, paying only $35 for a list of individuals.
