Deja Vu in the Echo Chamber: More RIAA Lawsuits

And so it goes, so it goes, so it goes:

The recording industry sued 532 people Tuesday, including scores of individuals using computer networks at 21 universities, claiming they were illegally sharing digital music files over the Internet.

The latest wave of copyright lawsuits brought by the Recording Industry Association of America on behalf of recording companies marks the first time the trade group has targeted computer users swapping music files over university networks.

The RIAA filed the “John Doe” complaints against 89 individuals using networks at universities in Arizona, California, New York, Indiana, Maryland, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Washington. Lawsuits were also filed against 443 people using commercial Internet access providers in California, Colorado, Missouri, Texas and Virginia.

….The defendants, which the trade group claims offered “substantial amounts” of music files, face potential civil penalties or settlements that could cost them thousands of dollars. Settlements in previous cases have averaged $3,000 each.

“We are sending a clear message that downloading or ‘sharing’ music from a peer-to-peer network without authorization is illegal, it can have consequences and it undermines the creative future of music itself,” RIAA president Cary Sherman said.

Including Tuesday’s filings, the recording industry has sued 1,977 people since launching its legal assault against online music piracy last fall, and has reached out-of-court settlements in around 400 of the cases. [AP]

Cary buddy, you need a new speech writer – that one is getting old. But at least he isn’t using the word “pirate” anymore – that’s a move in the right direction. But – and we’ve said this before – suing people isn’t.

Here’s another 532 who will want this t-shirt: