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RIAA sued under gang laws, again

John Borland Staff Writer, CNET News.com
John Borland
covers the intersection of digital entertainment and broadband.
John Borland

An Oregon woman accused of illegal peer-to-peer downloading has countersued the Recording Industry Association of America, contending that the music trade group illegally invaded her privacy, searched her computer without her permission, and conspired with other companies to engage in "extreme acts of unlawful coercion, extortion, fraud, and other criminal conduct."

At least one other defendant sued for downloading music online has sought to use laws typically applied to organized crime to countersue the RIAA. The lawyer who brought that case in New Jersey courts last year said Monday that his client had declared bankruptcy, and the case was no longer active, however.

Alongside her other legal claims, Oregon resident Tanya Andersen says in her lawsuit that she has never downloaded music to her computer.