The RIAA lawsuits against online music file sharers appear to have had a devastating impact on the number of those engaging in Internet peer-to-peer music sharing.
The percentage of online Americans downloading music files on the Internet has dropped by half and the numbers who are downloading files on any given day have plunged since the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) began filing suits in September 2003 against those suspected of copyright infringement. Furthermore, a fifth of those who say they continue to download or share files online say they are doing so less often because of the suits.