Music industry sues Augusta man...

"Scott Hinds, 23, is a defendant in one of a number of lawsuits by Recording Industry of America affiliates seeking to halt illegal sharing of copyrighted songs -- a once-widespread practice some maintain was "fair use," encouraged by certain computer software.

As artists attempt to regain control of their music -- and reap profits from sales -- recording industry spokeswoman Amanda Hunter said 18,000 individuals have been sued in similar lawsuits since September 2003, but Hinds is one of only six defendants in Maine."---"The allegation is that Hinds used an "online media distribution system" to download tunes, then distributed the copyrighted material to others.

The lawsuit doesn't identify the download service Hinds allegedly used, nor does it identify individual users who allegedly obtained the copyrighted music from Hinds.

According to the association, "online investigators searched for copyrighted recordings made available by individuals on peer-to-peer networks."

They then filed a lawsuit against Internet service providers prompting them to identify individuals who allegedly shared music files.

Hinds faces a minimum civil penalty of $750 per song. There can be criminal penalties as well."-maintoday