CNN.com has reported that the Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA, will begin a crusade to wipe out all illegal file sharing over the internet. This new attempt, led by the RIAA's president, Carey Sherman, comes in response to a vast decline in sales, and off the heels of the U.S. appeals court ruling requiring Internet providers to identify those illegally sharing files. Sherman said she expected to file "at least several hundred lawsuits" within the first eight to ten weeks, with continuing lawsuits coming on a regular basis. RIAA will target owners of the largest music collections first, and work their way down.

 

For anyone convicted, penalties could be hefty. U.S. copyright laws allow for damages of $750 to $150,000 for each song illegally stored on a person's computer. Sherman added, however, that the company would be open to settlements.

 

The RIAA's attack has not been well received, reports CNN: "This latest effort really indicates the recording industry has lost touch with reality completely," said Fred von Lohmann, a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "Does anyone think more lawsuits are going to be the answer? Today they have declared war on the American consumer." Sherman disagrees with such a statement, as she views those who download illegally not the regular consumer, but rather a "shoplifter," illegally benefiting off of someone else's work.

 

In addition, Sherman stated that the identities of file sharers are not hidden behind their usernames; "You are not anonymous. We're going to begin taking names." Sherman said, according to the CNN report.