The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) last month obtained a Summary Judgment against Media Group, a Fremont, CA-based CD manufacturing plant, and its president for direct copyright infringement. The court found the company liable for infringing 1,547 works that were owned by RIAA members, since opening its doors in 1995. Judge Cooper made her decision based on the evidence that RIAA anti-piracy personnel provided its educational training on piracy to Media Group. The judge found that Media Group did not adhere to the RIAA's suggested practice of both looking at and listening to CD orders before replicating them.

The RIAA said its anti-piracy personnel found that Media Group reproduced and distributed copyrighted material from such high-profile artists as Madonna, Santana, P. Diddy, James Brown and Elvis Presley among others. A trial has been set for October to determine damages. Media Group, the U.S. operation of Taiwanese parent company Media Press, is a worldwide ISO 9002, WAMO-certified CD and DVD replicator with annual capacity of 25 million CDs and 15 million DVDs.