The RIAA, the trade group that represents the five major record labels, announced on Wednesday that they filed the lawsuit in various jurisdictions across the United States. This is the third time the trade group has filed suit against online music traders, bring the total number of people sued under this initiative to 382. 

The RIAA claims that the suing of file traders has been an effective way of �educating� the public about copyright infringement. RIAA President Cary Sherman said in a statement, "The legal actions taken by the record companies have been effective in educating the American public that illegal file sharing of copyrighted material has significant consequences. Consumers are increasingly attracted to the host of compelling legal online music alternatives. These lawsuits help to foster an environment that provides a level playing field for these services to succeed." 

The trade RIAA has already settled with 220 file traders that were the target of earlier action such as warning letters, lawsuits or notifications from the users ISP that the RIAA was attempting to obtaining their personal information.  The average settlement amount has reportedly been around $3,000. 
 

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