200k lawsuits issued in the United States for illegal media downloads.

The MPAA and RIAA are at it again trying to crackdown on illegal file sharing. Torrent Freak stated that that approximately 200,000 users have been slapped since last year.


Most suits are pay-up-or-else schemes involving scare tactics used to entice people into paying a predetermined fine to avoid ending up in court. Those who have fought the lawsuits have had great success. None of the defendants have been taken to full trial yet this year.

Here's an interesting snippet from Torrent Freak:

What’s very clear is that for the copyright holders, tracking companies and lawyers, the settlement scheme is extremely profitable. If half of the original defendants eventually settle for an average fee of $2,500 they would generate a quarter billion dollars in revenue – from piracy.