The recording industry on Wednesday sued 532 computer users it said were illegally distributing songs over the Internet, the first lawsuits since a federal appeals court blocked the use of special copyright subpoenas to identify those being targeted.
The action represents the largest number of lawsuits filed at one time since the trade group for the largest music labels, the Recording Industry Association of America, launched its controversial legal campaign last summer to cripple Internet music piracy.
Music lawyers filed the newest cases against "John Doe" defendants -- identified only by their numeric Internet protocol addresses -- and expected to work through the courts to learn their names and where they live.
The recording association said each person was illegally distributing an average of more than 800 songs online.
Details here from the AP via SFGate.com.