Music downloaders pay to settle lawsuits

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The recording industry says it has settled 52 of the 261 suits it filed against Internet users accused of illegally permitting others to download music from their computers.
The Recording Industry Association of America, which plans to file hundreds more lawsuits in October, did not specify how much it collected from the settlements it announced on Monday.
Defense lawyers familiar with some cases said payments ranged from $2,500 to $7,500 each, with at least one settlement for as much as $10,000.
The settlements, which do not include any admission of wrongdoing, require Internet users to destroy copies of illegally downloaded songs and agree to "not make any public statements that are inconsistent" with the agreement.
The RIAA, the trade group for the largest labels, said one dozen other Internet users also agreed to pay unspecified amounts after they learned they might be sued.