From CNN edited:
Cary Sherman, president of the RIAA, said the civil lawsuits filed were against "major offenders" who made available an average of 1,000 copyrighted song files.
"Nobody likes playing the heavy and having to resort to litigation," Sherman said. "But when your product is being regularly stolen, there comes a time when you have to take appropriate action."
Sherman also announced the Clean Slate Program that grants amnesty to users who voluntarily identify themselves, erase downloaded music files and promise not to share music on the Internet. The RIAA said it will not sue users who sign and have notarized a Clean Slate Program affidavit.
"We're willing to hold out our version of an olive branch," Sherman said.
"For those who want to wipe the slate clean and to avoid a potential lawsuit, this is the way to go," added Mitch Bainwol, RIAA Chairman and CEO. "We want to send a strong message that the illegal distribution of copyrighted works has consequences, but if individuals are willing to step forward on their own, we want to go the extra step and extend them this option."
Until now, the only music file swapping lawsuits filed by RIAA were against four college students accused of making thousands of songs available on campus networks. Those cases were settled for $12,500 to $17,000 each.
Sherman said Monday that RIAA had negotiated settlements in the range of $3,000 with a "handful" of Internet users who had learned from their Internet service providers that they were being targetted for lawsuits. The industry is also pursuing subpoenas at universities around the country seeking to identify music file traders.
More information about RIAA's amnesty program is available at
www.musicunited.org.
