Copyright lawsuits numbered 2,192 in 2009, down almost a third from the previous year, and represented more than a 50 percent drop from 2005, when the recording industry's legal machinery was in full gear.
The RIAA Bump? U.S. copyright cases more than doubled amid the recording industry's litigation campaign against file sharers. Source: Administrative Office of the Courts
The figures provide fresh anecdotal evidence that the nations copyright-infringement dockets were significantly weighed down by the recording industry during that time. And the numbers, released by the Administrative Office of the Courts, come as indie filmmakers are picking up on the aggressive legal strategy the RIAA has abandoned.
The RIAA, the record labels lobbying and litigation arm, announced the end of its 5-year-old lawsuit campaign in December 2008, after having targeted some 18,000 individuals, usually naming dozens or hundreds of defendants per suit.
In interviews with Threat Level, copyright attorneys were in agreement that the termination of the litigation campaign is largely responsible for last years low numbers, though economic conditions may also have played a role. When economic times are bad, lawsuits drop, says New York copyright attorney Ray Dowd.
When the first round of RIAA lawsuits were filed on Sept. 8, 2003 targeting 261 defendants around the country it was a hairpin turn from the RIAAs previous strategy of going after file sharing services, rather than individual users. The RIAA representing the worlds big four music companies, Sony BMG, Universal Music, EMI and Warner Music has said its lawsuits were largely a public relations effort, aimed at striking fear into the hearts of would-be downloaders.
Most everyone who was sued settled out of court for a few thousand dollars rather than risk Copyright Act fines of up to $150,000 per purloined music track.
Only two defendants represented themselves at trial. Both lost massive judgments and remain embroiled in litigation today.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
