An Oasis of Litigation

Music swapping litigation increasingly likely outside US

The Media Guardian reports an increased likelihood of music industry litigation outside the US during 2004 citing figures which purport to show that the high profile US lawsuits of last year acted as a deterrent - Clampdown on music piracy.

Allen Dixon, the general counsel of the IFPI, said the Recording Industry Association of America had proved that suing users of illegal services is a successful deterrent against online music piracy.

The RIAA caused controversy last year when it launched 341 lawsuits against consumers, including 12 year-old schoolgirl Brianna LaHara, but the tactic appeared to pay off, with the number of people using the Kazaa file-swapping site falling by 50%.

"As a last resort, litigation does get the message across... It is probably inevitable outside of the US as we move into 2004," he said.