SUBPOENAS SENT TO 870+ MUSIC FILE BOOTLEGGERS
By LAUREN BARACK
July 22, 2003 -- In its bid to clamp down on illegal downloading, the Recording Industry Association of America has sent out at least 871 subpoenas, many aimed at bootleggers swapping songs on the Kazaa network.
Kazaa is a peer-to-peer Web service that allows users to share files for free.
The subpoenas, which are being sent to Internet service providers, cable companies and universities, list the Internet protocol and the e-mail address of those whom the RIAA suspects of making copyrighted songs available for download. The letters, which also list some of the alleged bootlegged songs, ask for the identity of the person with the listed e-mail address.
Hundreds of these demand letters are being posted to a Web site for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which requires a password for access.
The list of companies subpoenaed includes Comcast, EarthLink, Time Warner Cable, Pacific Bell and Verizon. Universities being targeted include Loyola University Chicago and DePaul University in Chicago.
The music industry is reportedly issuing an additional 75 subpoenas daily.
After getting the names, the RIAA is expected to file lawsuits against those sharing music files - much like it did earlier this year, when it sued four college students. |
