U.S. firms drop music download lawsuit against woman

Last Updated: Tuesday, June 5, 2007 | 10:34 PM ET

CBC News

Members of the U.S. recording industry have dropped a lawsuit against a disabled single mother who said she was innocent of their claims she downloaded more than 1,400 songs without authorization.

After more than two years of legal action, the members of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) — Atlantic Recording Corp., Capitol Records Inc., UMG Recordings Inc. and BMG Music — dropped their claim that Tanya Andersen of Portland, Ore., had downloaded the music, court documents filed on June 1 show.

The RIAA is a U.S. lobby group that promotes the interests of its members, which represent about 90 per cent of the U.S. music recording industry.

The "notice of stipulation of dismissal with prejudice," filed in U.S. District Court in Oregon, states that the "plaintiffs' claims are hereby dismissed with prejudice."

Andersen, a former U.S. Justice Department paralegal worker whose ordeal began when she received a settlement demand in December 2004, has always maintained her innocence of the recording labels' claims.

The companies had accused her of downloading some 1,406 songs — much of it gangster rap — and continued their lawsuit against her even after she voluntarily let them search her computer and they failed to find any evidence of the songs, court documents show.

Andersen subsequently sued Atlantic Records under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), alleging that RIAA members were guilty of illegal computer trespass and extortion.

Since September 2003, the RIAA has sued more than 20,000 people, alleging copyright infringement for unauthorized downloads of music.