This new round of pre-litigation letters is the latest installment of a broad education and deterrence campaign that the RIAA launched earlier this year focused on illegal file trafficking on college campuses.

This program gives students the opportunity to resolve copyright infringement claims (www.p2plawsuits.com) against them at a discounted rate before a formal lawsuit is filed. Each pre-litigation settlement letter informs the school of a forthcoming copyright infringement suit against one of its students or personnel and requests that university administrators forward that letter to the appropriate network user.

In the seventh wave of this new initiative, the RIAA last week sent letters to 58 schools, for the names of the schools please visit: http://www.riaa.com/newsitem.php?news_year_filter=&resultpage=&id=8F561EB9-6C3D-D867-324D-18882703F7C2

Because of the summer schedule, the RIAA is extending the amount of time that the recipient of a pre-litigation letter has to contact the organization’s legal representatives to work out a settlement.

The ongoing initiative comes as federal lawmakers continue to hold hearings examining the state of copyright theft on college campuses nationwide. In June, Congress convened a hearing focused on the technological tools that can effectively prevent or curtail the illegal file trafficking of music and movies. These cost-effective tools assist college administrators by protecting the network from potential viruses and spyware connected with several P2P services and by freeing the amount of usable bandwidth on the network that was otherwise consumed by the exchange of copyrighted works.

“The music industry is transforming how it does business and embracing digital distribution models of every kind,” Executive Vice President and General Counsel, RIAA Steven Marks said.

“For students, many of these high-quality digital music options are available at deeply discounted rates – or even free. Those who continue to ignore great legal services and the law by stealing music online risk a federal lawsuit that could include thousands of dollars in penalties. With so many simple, easy and inexpensive ways to enjoy music legally these days, why take that risk?” he added.

A survey by Student Monitor from last year found that more than half of college students download music and movies illegally. According to market research firm NPD, college students alone accounted more than 1.3 billion illegal music downloads in 2006.

Since launching its deterrence program in February 2007, the RIAA has sent approximately 2, 926 pre-litigation settlement letters to universities nationwide. The letters are in addition to the lawsuits that the RIAA continues to file on a rolling basis against those engaging in music theft via commercial Internet accounts.

The Recording Industry Association of America is the trade group that represents the US recording industry. Its mission is to foster a business and legal climate that supports and promotes our members' creative and financial vitality.