The American recording industry is showing that it means business in its attempt to quash Internet piracy, with the first subpoenas issued to uncover the identities of consumers swapping songs online.
The Recording Industry Association of America has so far targeted 871 consumers offering songs on the Kazaa network, according to court filings in the United States district court.
Kazaa, a peer-to-peer service that allows users to share files for free, is the leading song swapping network.
The association intends to sue potentially thousands of users for damages of up to $150 000 a copyright violation.
The subpoenas have been sent to Internet service providers, cable companies and universities. They list the Internet protocol and e-mail addresses of people the association suspects of offering copyright material free and ask the Internet service provider or cable company to reveal their identities.
The companies contacted include Pacific Bell, Verizon, Time Warner Cable and Comcast.
A spokesperson for the association said: ”We are doing exactly as we said we would — gathering evidence for the first lawsuits that we expect to file in late August or early September.”
Verizon is fighting the demand to reveal names, although recent court rulings have backed the association’s efforts.
The association is reportedly continuing to issue subpoenas at a rate of 75 a day. The threat of legal action appears to have already had some effect.
According to Nielsen NetRatings, traffic on Kazaa fell by 15% in the week ended July 6, compared with the previous week. Traffic on the Morpheus network was 15% down, while iMesh dropped 16%. — Â