The subpoenas are flying, and we’re naming names. Are you on the list?
The recording industry has launched a sweeping effort to identify and shut down individual song swappers, making good on recent threats to expand its legal battle against copyright theft.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has now issued more than 911 subpoenas to Internet service providers across the United States, trying to get the names of people still offering music on file-sharing networks such as KaZaA and Grokster.
“Tech Live” brings you the RIAA Hit List, the user names of file traders targeted in the recording industry subpoenas. Be sure to watch Music Wars, the TechTV special airing Friday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. Eastern. We’ll take an in-depth look at the issues facing the recording industry and file swappers. The special will be capped by a two-hour live question and answer session with industry and legal experts, and you’ll be able to participate.
Subpoena details
In June, we brought you the story of Jesse Jordan, a 19-year-old college student who became one of the first to be hit with a lawsuit by the RIAA. Jordan settled his case by paying $12,000 to the RIAA.
The following user names were culled from subpoenas filed with the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. . The Los Angeles law firm of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp is serving all subpoenas. Most of the actual subpoenas are available for viewing online at PACER, a federal courts document service.
The court documents don’t show individual users’ real names. They do show file-sharing network user names, the user’s ISP, the user’s IP address, and a sampling of copyright songs the user allegedly made available for download. To date, many ISPs have been contacted, including Pac Bell Internet, SBC, Charter Communications, Comcast, Adelphia, RCN, and Time Warner.
Following is a list of user names we found during our review of the subpoenas made available online. Also, see the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s searchable database of RIAA subpoenas, and its information on how to avoid a lawsuit.
ISPs on alert
Here’s a list of which ISPs and other service providers have received subpoenas from the RIAA, and how many subpoenas each provider has received. Numbers come from a review of the RIAA subpoenas put online by the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
Comcast Cable Communications (389)
SBC (188)
Verizon Internet Services (159)
Time Warner Cable (135)
Charter Cable (74)
Adelphia Communications (59)
Cox Communications (45)
RCN (30)
EarthLink (19)
CenturyTel Internet Services (9)
Grande Communications (8)
Mediacom Communications (8)
America Online (7)
Bell South (7)
InterQuest Communications (6)
Bentley College (Boston) (5)
Loyola Marymount University (4)
Boston College (3)
Qwest Communications(3)
CSC Holdings (2)
Northeastern University (2)
New York University (2)
San Bruno Municipal Cable (2)
Suntech Systems (2)
Allegiance Internet, AT&T Worldnet, Boston University, Columbia University (New York), DePaul University (Chicago), Insight Midwest, Loyola University (Chicago), Massillon Cable TV, MIT, Northeastern University (Boston), Pacific Bell Internet, University of Southern California, Wide Open West Holdings (1 each).
Unnamed P2P users
Subpoenas have been served to ISPs for unnamed users trading files on the following P2P networks. The number of subpoenas served is listed in parentheses.
Bearshare (29)
Limewire (16)
Shareaza (3)
Unspecified (4)
Today’s New Targets
Updated October 17
aaa@Kazaa
andy@Kazaa
anniepooh@Kazaa
aweeks@fileshare
babystilla21@Kazaa
bigbluesmurf823@Kazaa
brainz220@Kazaa
cajean@Kazaa
changes87@Kazaa
eric@Kazaa
gcgrimeycitythug@Kazaa
grifster@Kazaa
guyincogneedoh@Kazaa
Haywire21@Kazaa
iheartyOos@Kazaa
isreba@Kazaa
Jack39@Kazaa
Jacksons25@Kazaa
jamezkimchee@Kazaa
JamieKurt@Grokster
jay33@Kazaa
juicylucy@Grokster
juliennomura@Kazaa
Jupp@Kazaa
Kevante@Kazaa
krakaboi@Kazaa
LCRamey42@Kazaa
Lifetaker5@Kazaa
Lilkraz@fileshare
lins923@Kazaa
loloman@Kazaa
luv682@Kazaa
markovia@Kazaa
meghan@Kazaa
mellyv@Kazaa
michaelcuccionelover88@Kazaa
misliss@Kazaa
mistanusiz@Kazaa
mommy@Kazaa
mwysocki@fileshare
nixon901@Kazaa
peckochan@Kazaa
Peteo2211@Kazaa
playwitmeballs@Kazaa
prdrew40@Kazaa
pussywillow@Kazaa
Queets@fileshare
sambasmeh@Kazaa
sarahje@Kazaa
sexy_2k3@Kazaa
SilentScream1@Kazaa
Snobird@Kazaa
sofy@Kazaa
soulstripper@Kazaa
sporty311@Kazaa
stephanie@Kazaa
sumay@Kazaa
sunnybear1@Kazaa
Sweetheart02@Kazaa
tAaJ@Kazaa
tinman@Kazaa
www.hondaracer@Kazaa
xixung@Kazaa
