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August 22, 2002 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — The Recording Industry Association of America has reportedly dropped a lawsuit against a number of major ISPs that sought to shut down a music copying site based in China.
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The federal suit was filed Friday by the RIAA against a group of network providers and ISPs including AT&T, Cable & Wireless, Advanced Network Services and WorldCom, accusing the companies of making it possible for people to access the Listen4ever web site, where they could illegally copy music.
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The RIAA said on Wednesday that it would drop the suit because the Listen4ever Web site had been shut down.
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According to the RIAA, the Web site was an attempt to evade US copyright laws by operating from China while offering mostly American music for free.
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The association, which has sued such organizations as Napster in the past, filed the controversial suit against the ISPs when it could not track down the operator of the Listen4ever site.
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The RIAA has recently become more aggressive in its efforts to stop music piracy and keep control over the digital distribution of music. The organization has filed suits against Napster, Scour and Morpheus as well as companies that allow their employees to swap files, and is reportedly getting close to going after individual users.
