From Wired.com
WASHINGTON — A Senate panel will hold hearings on the recording industry’s crackdown against online music swappers, the chairman said Thursday.
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minnesota), made the announcement in a letter to the Recording Industry Association of America. He had received information he had requested from the group about the campaign, which Coleman has called excessive.
The Senate governmental affairs’ permanent subcommittee on investigations is reviewing the group’s responses and declined to make them available Thursday. The RIAA was also silent.
The association announced plans in June to file several hundred lawsuits against people suspected of illegally sharing songs on the Internet. Copyright laws allow for damages of $750 to $150,000 for each song.
In his letter, Coleman said he would look at not just the scope of that campaign but also the dangers that downloaders face by making their personal information available to others. Coleman said he would review legislation that would expand criminal penalties for downloading music.
An RIAA statement said that “hearings are part of any oversight process and we always look forward to having the opportunity to present our position.”
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