The BPI, Britain's answer to the Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA), today said it had filed lawsuits against 65 more UK residents for allegedly sharing music without the permission of the copyright owner.

The new lawsuits take the total number of file-sharers accused by the BPI of music piracy - a group the organisation characterises as "digital shoplifters" - to more than 150. Of that number, 70 have agreed to pay up to £6,500 to settle their cases out of court, the organisation said. Five more currently have court cases pending against them.

The 65 UK lawsuits are among 2,100 similar cases launched around the globe this week by local recording industry trade associations operating under the auspices of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). So far some 3,800 people have been sued by the music biz around the world, though that figure excludes the 16,200-odd individuals targeted to date by the RIAA in the US.

The latest international action saw lawsuits issued for the first time in Sweden, Switzerland, Argentina, Hong Kong and Singapore. ®