The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said on Wednesday that they will file copyright violation charges against 20 Columbian nationals and hundreds of individuals nationwide over alleged illegal file-sharing activities over peer-to-peer networks.
In a letter sent by the RIAA on February 28 and March 21, some 805 file-sharers and 35 universities and colleges were asked to pay settlement amounting to the number of copyrighted materials and music files they have downloaded or shared using P2P file-sharing networks.
RIAA, which has been quiet for the past 15 months or so, said that the move was part of the campaign strategy to discourage university and college students from doing illegal activities on the Internet.
“This is a new process that we have put in place whereby students have the opportunity to settle the claims against them at substantially discounted sums before a lawsuit is ever filed,” RIAA spokeswoman Jenni Engebretsen said in a statement over the agency’s website.
Based on a obtained copy of the letter, RIAA is informing the users that they must settle the amount immediately with the record labels they have neglected or they will be sued for copyright infringement. The letter also said that the amount being charged against the users were at “a substantial discount” and “timely fashion”.
She also said that some 116 out of the first 400 letter receivers have already settled the amount.
Meanwhile, Engebretsen refused to further comment on how much it will cost the students if they settle online. But reports earlier told that the settlement amount could reach $3, 500 to $5, 000.