Despite the advent of legal download services and the RIAA lawsuits against people who share MP3s for free, more people have returned to P2P networks where they can download for free. Independent market research firm The NPD Group has tracked this.

The NPD Group says file-sharing on these networks increased 14% from September 2003 to November 2003. Before this, file-sharing declined for six months straight after RIAA lawsuits had begun. Such data reveals many are ignoring RIAA tactics.

Russ Crupnick, NPD's VP, notes: "It's important to keep in mind that file sharing is occurring less frequently than before the RIAA began its legal efforts to stem the tide of P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing." See the link for theories on the rise.

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