http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1112091640324150.xml
Alabamians sued over music Tuesday, March 29, 2005 VAL WALTON News staff writer An Alexander City hairstylist whose daughter downloaded hundreds of songs on the Internet is one of at least 24 people sued in federal court in Alabama by the Recording Industry Association of America. The suits, including two filed in Birmingham last week, are among 9,900 filed against individuals since 2003 on behalf of RIAA member companies such as Warner Bros. Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Arista Records and Capitol Records Inc. The lawsuits accuse people of using the Internet or an online media distribution system to download copyright recordings without paying, to distribute them to the public and to make them available for distribution. The suit against Vickey Goss of Alexander City, filed in Montgomery early this year, alleges that hundreds of songs by artists such as country crooner George Straight, gospel singer Kirk Franklin and hip-hop artist Nelly were downloaded on her computer. Goss was unaware of the downloads by her daughter, then 17, according to her attorney, Angela Hill. "Her daughter didn't have any criminal intent," Hill said. Goss offered to settle for $400 or $500 but the offer was rejected, Hill said. "For her, that's still a lot of money." U.S. copyright laws allow for damages of $750 to $30,000 for each song illegally downloaded on a person's computer. Hill questioned why the companies are not targeting the Internet file-sharing programs. The RIAA says the lawsuits are necessary to protect its members. The industry blames piracy for a 21 percent drop in CD shipments from 1999 to 2004. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case today in which movie and record companies contend they should be able to sue file-sharing services such as Groskster Ltd, and StreamCast Networks Inc., because their customers copy and trade copyright material online without paying for it. The case, the companies said, is considered a significant test of copyright law. Jenni Engebretsen, RIAA spokeswoman, said the suits against individuals are filed to combat the rampant copyright infringement through peer-to-peer use, which occurs when people illegally share music files across the Internet. "The lawsuits are an important part of our overall effort to discourage illegal downloading and encourage music fans to turn to legal services," Engebretsen said. "Individual users of illegal file-sharing networks should remain on notice: You can be caught, and there are consequences to your illegal actions." Engebresten said some defendants, once sued, have chosen to settle. Of the nine lawsuits filed in Montgomery-based federal court, three have settled. Engebretsen said two of nine people sued in the Mobile-based federal court have settled. In the Birmingham-based federal court, one person out of six has settled. But Atlanta lawyer John Israel, who represents Huntsville resident David Lackey, believes RIAA has sued the wrong David Lackey. "He didn't do anything," Israel said. "He's not that kind of person." Israel said Lackey, who writes his own music, is working to get his finances together to go back to school to obtain a graduate degree in music education. "Being a composer himself, he is sensitive to the royalty issues," Israel said. E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ RTF mailing list RTF@rolltidefan.net http://rolltidefan.net/mailman/listinfo/rtf_rolltidefan.net
