NEW YORK (RIAA) - Earlier today, the Recording Industry Association of America launched its long-threatened legal assault on downloaders. The American recording industry group filed 261 federal lawsuits against individual Internet-users accused of illegal downloading and file-sharing. The RIAA says that they are targeting what they describe as "substantial" violators who have distributed 1,000 or more songs through file-sharing sites like Kazaa and Gnutella. Under American law, damages for copyright violations range from $750 to $150,000 (US) per work. No word yet on if and when the lawsuits will make it to court.
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