File-sharing cases are settled

The US recording industry announced settlements with 52 of the 261 internet users it sued over allegations that they illegally permitted others to download music from their computers using popular file-sharing software.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which plans to file hundreds more lawsuits in October, did not specify how much it collected.

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.