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RIAA Announces Further P2P Lawsuits; Feds Obtain More "Operation FastLink" Guilty Pleas
February 28, 2006 at 10:56 AM (PT)
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The RIAA today announced a new round of copyright infringement lawsuits against 750 individuals targets as illegal file-sharers. The "John Doe" lawsuits filed today cite individuals for illegally distributing copyrighted music on the Internet via unauthorized P2P services. In addition to these new litigations, the major music companies filed lawsuits earlier this month against 210 named defendants in ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, GEORGIA, ILLINOIS, MICHIGAN, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, TEXAS, VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, and WISCONSIN.
"For legal online services to continue to break new ground, we must do our part to protect the integrity of the marketplace," said RIAA Pres. CARY SHERMAN. "Just as we continue to educate fans about the right ways to enjoy music online, we will continue to enforce our rights through the legal system. Songlifting is not without consequences." In other RIAA news, the organization today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) "Operation FastLink," -- a crackdown on pre-release music piracy groups -- has obtained its first guilty pleas.
According to the DOJ, three individuals in CHARLOTTE, LONGMONT, CO, and HILLSBORO, OR each pled guilty today to one count of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement for their involvement in the pre-release music group "Apocalypse Crew," or "APC." A fourth individual, of DANVILLE, VA, previously pled guilty to one count of criminal copyright infringement related to his involvement in another pre-release music group called "Chromance," or "CHR." Each of the four defendants face up to five years of imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release.

