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The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has taken additional steps in its fight against music piracy by issuing nearly 500 more lawsuits against alleged music file-sharers.
This action brings the total number of individuals it has sued to nearly 3,000.
Although the Association doesn't yet know the names of those sought in this latest round of suits, the RIAA hopes to learn the alleged perpetrators' identities by gaining court orders that will force their ISPs to divulge the information.
On the other hand, the RIAA does know the names of 24 individuals that it also issued lawsuits against yesterday -- having failed to reach out-of-court settlements with them.
The RIAA suits against file-sharers began last September, saying it has settled some 400 cases with alleged copyright violators. The RIAA has stated that the average range of settlements with these file-sharers is US$3,000 to $10,000.
"Our continuing objective is to send a message of deterrence, protect the rights of property owners, and foster an environment where the legitimate marketplace, both on-line and at retail 
, can flourish," RIAA President Cary Sherman said in a statement.
The RIAA ended its amnesty program, originally offered to allow file-sharers to come clean and change their ways, in April 2004. By many analyst estimates, however, the RIAA's legal campaign has yet to have any clear impact on file-sharing networks.
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