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RIAA Releases Mid-Year Anti-Piracy Statistics
WASHINGTON–The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced today that its anti-piracy efforts in the first half of 2001 led to record arrests, illegal product seizures and guilty pleas and convictions. Of particular note, seizures of illegal compact disc-recordables (CD-Rs) increased significantly in comparison to CD-Rs seized in the first half of 2000. "As part of a stepped up effort to significantly curtail the continuing growth of CD-R piracy, we have increased our solicitation of law enforcement, prosecutors, legislators, the retail community, and consumers to assist us in our fight against piracy," said Frank Creighton, RIAA senior vice president and director of anti-piracy. "We recognize that in order to keep up with the expanding CD-R piracy problem, we need to work hand in hand with those charged with enforcing Intellectual Property laws and those hurt most by sound recording piracy." The industry credited expanded training and lobbying efforts nationwide, improved law enforcement cooperation, and increased education efforts aimed at retailers and consumers for the record numbers. Specifically, the RIAA has worked this past year, with its member companies, to create and distribute educational materials to retail stores, regional sales representatives, and consumers. Consisting of pamphlets, information booklets and window slicks to display, these materials educate retailers and consumers about illegitimate sound recordings and ways in which illicit material can be detected and reported to the RIAA. The RIAA has also expanded its training programs with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, giving them the tools needed to identify piracy activity and take appropriate action without the need to have an RIAA investigator on sight. Additionally, meetings have taken place at high levels within prosecutors' offices in key problem regions, to encourage stiffer penalties that create the necessary deterrent against CD-R piracy. SEIZURES AND ARRESTS Record Number of CD-Rs Seized The RIAA Anti-Piracy Unit assisted in the seizure of 1,257,796 illegal CD-Rs at mid-year 2001. This number is up 133 percent from the 539,130 CD-Rs it seized by mid-year 2000. Additionally, RIAA investigative personnel assisted in the execution of search warrants at 72 illicit distribution locations and 34 manufacturing operations, seizing a total of 604 CD-R burners in the process. This number is approximately equal to the total number of burners seized in all of 2000. Caught In the Act Working closely with federal, state, and local officials, the RIAA Anti-Piracy Unit aided in 932 arrests and indictments of individuals selling illegal CDs or CD-Rs in the first six months of 2000. At mid-year 2001, there were 1,762 arrests made—an 89 percent increase over the previous year. ONLINE PIRACY Online Physical Piracy Due to improved automated processes, and working with online auction houses, the RIAA Anti-Piracy Unit was able to focus much attention toward online physical piracy activity. In the first half of 2001 8,716 online auctions offering illicit sound recordings on their sites were removed from online auction sites. This number is a 418 percent increase from the 1,682 online auctions removed at mid year 2000. Online Digital Piracy The first half of 2001 saw a slight decline in the number of notices sent to ISPs in relation to infringing ftp sites, web, and hotline type sites. However, this in not necessarily an indication that online piracy has declined. Instead, the reduction in notices sent reflects a consumer migration to centralized and decentralized file sharing services, an increased focus on enforcing against open nap servers, and a reallocation of internal resources to support the critical online litigations that have been brought this past year. Civil Litigation Activities On behalf of its member companies, the RIAA initiated civil suits against seven individuals or corporations during the first six months of 2001. These suits were directed against various types of illegal conduct, including illegal file-sharing activities and unlicensed webcasting services. In May, suit was filed against AbovePeer, Buddy USA and Johnny Deep, the entities and individuals that run Aimster, the file-sharing service. Additionally, suit was brought against Wings Digital, a CD manufacturing plant in New York responsible for hundreds of infringements. The suit also asserted claims against the plant's president. The RIAA also intervened in a civil suit brought by the broadcasting group Bonneville International Corp. in April of this year. The suit sought a judicial declaration that traditional broadcasters should not have to pay sound recording holders in order to broadcast their works on the Internet. The court dismissed the case. Suits were also filed in May and June 2001 against the following groups for unauthorized webcasting activity: Launch, MusicMatch, MTVi, and XAct. The RIAA continued to handle the Napster litigation that is pending in the Northern District of California. A preliminary injunction has already been issued in that case.
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