FAQ On The First Wave Of Legal Action Announced By IFPI

1) WHO IS BEING SUED?

Legal action against a number of people who distribute copyrighted music illegally has been announced today in Canada, Germany, Italy and Denmark.

2) HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE SUED?

The number varies per country due to different legal processes. But this is only the beginning in every one - there will be more.

3) WHY ARE THEY BEING SUED?

They are being sued because they are breaking copyright law by making music available to others via the internet without permission from those who created the music.

4) AND IS IT REALLY THAT BIG A PROBLEM?

It's a huge problem for the industry, Surveys in all major markets prove this is a major factor in the fall in world music sales, down by more than US$6 billion in the last five years.. Looking at just a few countries: in Canada, sales have dropped by almost one-third in the last five years; in Denmark sales are down by almost 50% in three years; and in Germany CD album sales have dropped by over 30% since 2000.

5) WHO ARE THEY BEING SUED BY?

They are being sued by the national record associations which represent the music recording industry , and in some cases by record labels themselves, in each country.

6) SO IS THIS JUST THE RECORDING INDUSTRY SUING ITS OWN CUSTOMERS?

Music fans are willing to pay for the music created by their favourite bands and singers. Those who distribute the same music illegally to thousand of their "closest friends" without paying aren't fans, any more than people who lift CDs from record shops.

7) WHAT HAPPENS IF I'M JUST DOWNLOADING A FEW TRACKS?

This campaign is aimed primarily at "major uploaders" i.e. those copying and distributing hundreds of files onto the internet to millions of people.

8) WHAT WILL HAPPEN THOSE WHO SUED? WILL THEY GO TO JAIL OR BE FINED?

It's unlikely anyone will go to jail, although we have to comply with each country's legal system. However the biggest likely punishment is a large fine if the case is settled.

9) WHERE CAN I GET MUSIC LEGALLY ONLINE?

There are already more than 50 online music sites in Europe, which offer 300,000 tracks, the equivalent of 25,000 albums with more due to come on-stream in the next few months. The catalogue available in the US is currently 575,000, equivalent to over 50,000 albums. American sites include those from Coca-Cola, iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody and Phonoline [insert local details as applicable]. See www.pro-music.org for a list of links.

10) ARE THESE ONE-OFF LAWSUITS OR WILL THERE BE MORE?

Lawsuits will come in waves - and this is the first wave of countries. It is inevitable that other countries also suffering from the problem will also resort to lawsuits.

11) SO WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE NOT SUED?

You should disable your P2P software's uploading capability which is a simple process - go to www.pro-music.org for details on how to do this on KaZaA and other P2P software provider's sites.

For more information contact IFPI Communications:

Tel: +44 (0)20 7878 7900
Email:info@ifpi.org

Website: www.ifpi.org / www.pro-music.org