The saga continues.

The Recording Industry Association of America filed a ‘John Doe’ lawsuit Wednesday against one Syracuse University student.

This lawsuit was one of many filed by the RIAA Wednesday against students across the country who failed to pay a $3,000 settlement fee after receiving a letter accusing them of illegal music downloading and copyright infringement. The letters, sent out in late February and March, gave offenders a chance to settle copyright infringement claims out of court before federal lawsuits were filed against them by the RIAA.

On Feb. 28, 37 SU students received the letters, which warned them that if they did not pay the $3,000 settlement through a Web site within 20 days, a lawsuit would be filed.

The student being sued by the RIAA did not settle within the required time period, according to a statement from the association.

As of March 30, only 116 students of the first 400 students nationwide to receive letters – 29 percent – had chosen to settle out of court for $3,000, according to a previous article in The Daily Orange.

Once a ‘John Doe’ lawsuit is filed, RIAA members can subpoena from SU the name of the individual corresponding to the Internet Protocol (IP) address that has been identified as engaged in music piracy, according to a RIAA statement.

Kevin Quinn, vice president of public affairs for SU, could not be reached for SU’s comment.

When the individual’s identity has been revealed, RIAA representatives will be in touch with that individual directly to discuss a settlement of the claims, according to the statement. This settlement will be larger than the $3,000 fee initially offered.

If the individual chooses not to settle, the case will proceed with RIAA members either

amending or re-filing the original complaint to include the individual’s name. Lawsuits filed by the RIAA range from $750 per illegal song downloaded to $150,000 – penalties laid out in U.S. copyright law, not decided by the RIAA.

The 37 SU students received the RIAA letters shortly after SU ranked No. 12 on a list of the top campuses for illegal music downloading.

Published on April 11, 2007 at 12:00 pm