In the southern district of New York, the Recording Industry Association of America filed a lawsuit on October 12 saying that Usenet newsgroups contain "millions of copyrighted sound recordings" in violation of federal law. Usenet.com, based in Fargo, N.D., boasts that signing up for an account "gives you access to millions of MP3 files and also enables you to post your own files the same way and share them with the whole world." That's what caught the RIAA's eye. With a quote like that, the organization has the backing it needs to win in court.
Many ISPs, universities and newsgroup archives offer Usenet. If RIAA succeeds, they may not stop with Usenet.com. The lawsuit claims Usenet.com encourages its customers to pay up to $19 a month by enticing them with copyrighted music, and asks for a permanent injunction barring the company from "aiding, encouraging, enabling, inducing, causing, materially contributing to, or otherwise facilitating" copyright infringement.
News source: News.com
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