File Sharing Services

[BJ_M]

RIAA files more suits

Industry targets users of Grokster, LimeWire, Kazaa

WASHINGTON -- Despite Monday's Supreme Court decision allowing copyright holders to sue peer-to-peer services wholesale, the recording industry launched yet another round of litigation against individual downloaders Wednesday.

The Recording Industry Assn. of America announced 784 lawsuits filed in federal district courts across the country, including California, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Suits specifically target people who are "illegally distributing copyrighted music on the Internet via unauthorized peer-to-peer services such as Kazaa, LimeWire and Grokster," according to the RIAARIAA statement.

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that P2P services Grokster and StreamCast could be sued if they "actively induce" their users to illegally swap copyrighted material. Lower courts had blocked the entertainment industry's attempt to sue.

Immediately following the high court ruling, industry officials and executives said the Grokster-StreamCast suit was just one piece of a multipronged attack on online piracy. The RIAA has been suing individual downloaders since 1999. Wednesday's suits bring the total to 12,575.

The RIAA said it launched fresh suits "as part of its continued efforts to promote legal online services, educate fans about the right and wrong way to enjoy digital music and enforce its rights through the legal system."

[BJ_M]

Pirates won't be intimidated

Hollywood got pretty much everything it wanted from the Supreme Court on Monday, but techies and studio insiders agreed there's one thing the Grokster decision likely won't significantly affect: piracy.

Illegal downloads have largely moved to applications that aren't run by corporations (and therefore can't be targeted by U.S. law).

"When you look where most piracy is happening today, there's no there there," observed Marc Morgenstern, VP of piracy tracking company Overpeer. "Piracy will go on unabated."

Studio execs uniformly declined to comment on the decision Monday, preferring to leave their message to the MPAAMPAA. Org admitted the decision won't have an immediate impact, but said it could prevent more people from engaging in piracy.

"This decision is a starting point for change," said Dean Garfield, VP of legal affairs and worldwide antipiracy for MPAA. "Shutting down these operations will help keep piracy from becoming a mainstream activity."

Studios had indicated a ruling in their favor in the Grokster case would help them work with P2P companies to distribute content legally. It remains to be seen if they'll go through with that promise, but several startups are lining up in hopes of partnering with movie and music companies on P2P.

IMesh, a P2P outfit that temporarily ceased operations last year after settling litigation with the music bizbiz, used the occasion of the Grokster decision to disclose its plans to transition to a legitlegit service. Company soon will start offering digital music for sale alongside free content being distributed online legally either without copyright or with the owners' permission. Former Sony Music and RCA Records toppertopper Robert Summer is taking a position as exec chairman.

Similarly, startup Snocap is planning to integrate copyrighted content for sale onto existing P2P networks when it launches later this year.