Music Wars Scene 28:
in which the Empire says: I'm Gonna getcha (yet again)
Here's comes the next round of RIAA LawsuitsThe Recording Industry Association of America stepped up the pace of its lawsuits against music swappers again, with a renewed focus on university students.So now the message is to turn to "legitimate" services, which is an improvement from the "you people are all breaking the law, and should go to jail" strategy.
The trade association said Tuesday that it sued an additional 532 anonymous individuals, including 89 people at 21 separate universities. This is the third round of suits since the RIAA was forced by the courts to file suits without first using subpoenas to learn the alleged file swappers' true identities.
"It's important for everyone to understand that no one is immune from the consequences of illegally 'sharing' music files on (peer to peer) networks," RIAA President Cary Sherman said in a statement. "Lawsuits are an important part of the larger strategy to educate file sharers about the law, protect the rights of copyright owners, and encourage music fans to turn to these legitimate services."