While repairing an anonymous customer’s computer, we were notified by Charter Communications that illegal copyright infringement had been tracked back to their computer.  The customer had apparently been downloading and sharing music files illegally. click_but_can't_hide

This is a GENUINE letter CTG received from Charter Communications:

“04-03-2013
Charter Communications
Sir or Madam:

I am contacting you on behalf of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) — the trade association whose member music companies create, manufacture, and distribute approximately 85% of all legitimate music sold in the United States.

If you are an Internet Service Provider (ISP), you have received this letter because we have identified a user on your network reproducing or distributing an unauthorized copy of a copyrighted sound recording.  This letter constitutes notice to you that this user may be liable for infringing activity occurring on your network.

If you are an Internet subscriber (user), you have received this letter because your Internet account was used to illegally copy and/or distribute copyrighted music over the Internet through a peer to peer application.

Distributing copyrighted works on a peer to peer system is a public activity visible by other users on that network, including the RIAA.  An historic 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision affirmed that uploading and downloading copyrighted works without the copyright owner’s permission is clearly illegal.  You may be liable for the illegal activity occurring on your computer.

To avoid legal consequences, a user should immediately delete and disable access to the unauthorized music on your computer.  Learn how at the “About Music Copyright Notices” section of www.riaa.com.  That section also contains practical information about:

– How you were identified and why illegal downloading is not anonymous
– What next steps to take
– Where to get legal music online

We encourage Internet subscribers to visit the website http://www.whymusicmatters.com/ which contains a guide to the many authorized music sites where fans can go to listen to and/or purchase their favorite songs.

We have attached below the details of the illegal file-sharing, including the time, date, and a sampling of the music shared.  We assert that the information in this notice is accurate, based upon the data available to us.  We have a good faith belief that this activity is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.  Under penalty of perjury, we submit that the RIAA is authorized to act on behalf of its member companies in matters involving the infringement of their sound recordings, including enforcing their copyrights and common law rights on the Internet.  This letter does not constitute a waiver of any of our member’s rights, and all such rights are expressly reserved.”