RECORD INDUSTRY TO SUE MUSIC PIRATES

 Recording Industry To Sue Music Pirates

June 2003 (Newstream) -- Even though all the major record labels have made their music available on a number of legal sites, illegal downloading is still rampant on the Internet. To combat the problem, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) announced it will start to gather evidence tomorrow and will begin filing what could amount to thousands of lawsuits against individual computer users.

The creation of legal websites like The Apple Music Store, MusicNet, Pressplay and Rhapsody still haven't deterred some individuals from illegally distributing music. And they're not just sharing with a few friends; in some cases, they're illegally passing copyrighted songs to millions of others. Experts say that illegal file sharing has already cost thousands of jobs in the music industry.

They also warn that while many falsely believe that illegal file sharing is anonymous, it's actually a very public activity. A person's username leads to an IP (Internet Protocol) address, which can then be subpoenaed to locate the individual.

To avoid being sued, the RIAA recommends taking programs that distribute music illegally - like Kazaa and Grokster - off your computer if you have them. At the very least, they advise disabling the software's uploading capacity. This will not only keep strangers out of your hard dive, it will keep you from getting sued.

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