Residents sued over music sharing

The suits allege illegal music distribution on the Internet.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Columbiana and Youngstown residents are named in U.S. District Court in lawsuits alleging copyright infringement, filed by the recording industry this week against 42 people in 11 states.
Charles Winters of Madison Drive, Columbiana, was sued by Elektra Entertainment Group Inc., Capitol Records Inc., Arista Records LLC, and Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
Andrea Clark of Jean Street, Youngstown, was sued by Elektra, Arista, Capitol, Sony, Interscope Records, Warner Bros. Records Inc., Priority Records LLC and Motown Record Co., L.P.
Suits
The lawsuits accuse the defendants of illegally distributing copyrighted music on the Internet. Names of the defendants were subpoenaed from their Internet service providers, according to a news release from the Recording Industry Association of America, a trade association.
The suits against Winters and Clark seek monetary damages, the record companies' lawyer fees, and an injunction barring futher copyright infringement and ordering destruction of all unauthorized sound recordings.
Winters said a reporter's phone call was his first notice of the suit against him and declined to comment. Clark could not be reached.
The suits against Winters and Clark were filed by Attys. Dennis P. Zapka and Sean T. Lavin, both of Cleveland, and both cases are assigned to U.S. District Judge John Adams in Akron.
No injunctions have been issued and no hearings on the injunction requests have yet been scheduled, Zapka said.