RIAA starts a new round of student witch-hunts

Declaring that, despite legal downloading options such as Ruckus, the level of illegal student downloads remains "unacceptable," the Recording Industry Association of America has announced a new attack in its campus lawsuit campaign. This time, says RIAA Prez Cary Sherman, sued students will be given the option of settling before lawsuits are filed against them. Industry lawyers will send emails to universities, listing Internet protocol numbers and requesting that the attached form letters be forwarded to the students whose computers match the numbers. The letters will say that the recipients have 20 days to settle up before "John Doe" suits are filed against them. Students wishing to settle can call a hotline number and pay by credit card, if they care to do so.

The RIAA campaign had been dormant for about a year. But, said Sherman, "The piracy problem on campuses remains extensive and unacceptable, and compromises the music industry's ability to invest in new music."

Read RIAA's press releases on its new campus campaign.