The Recording Industry Association of America says it will not go after "small violators" when it sues people who illegally share songs on the Internet. This statement was in a written response to Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman, who has been in the news lately as a critic of the RIAA witchunt, describing the record industry reps activities as "excessive".
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Sherman added that his group "does not condone any illegal copying and does not want anyone to think that even a little illegal activity is acceptable." Sherman did not specify how much illegal distribution constituted "a substantial amount," and an RIAA spokesman declined to quantify the phrase. Coleman, a Minnesota Republican and former '60s rock roadie, says he fears that legal penalties for downloading songs don't fit the crime. Copyright laws allow for damages of 750 to 150,000 dollars for each song. The RIAA announced plans in June to file several hundred lawsuits against people suspected of illegally sharing songs on the Internet. The RIAA said that while it has not yet filed lawsuits in its current campaign, "we assure you that we will approach these suits in a fair and equitable manner." Sherman said that in cases it brought last year |
In a telephone interview Monday, former prosecutor
Coleman, who has used the Web site Napster to download music, said the RIAA has
been "cooperative". However, he still remains concerned the industry is
"overreaching."
Source: yahoo.com
