Record Labels Target 14 Year-Old Girl

UPDATED A 14 year-old girl is in the middle of a dispute with the record labels that could have broad implications for future cases involving minors downloading illicit music files from peer-to-peer services.

An effort is underway by EMI, Warner, Universal and Sony BMG to force the courts to appoint an official legal guardian for Brittany Chan so they can move forward with their lawsuit against her.

As first reported by P2P news site p2pnet.net, the record labels latest actions stem from the refusal of the teen's mother, Candy Chan, to take responsibility for the alleged file sharing of her child.

According to the record labels, they were forced "to file this action directly against Brittany Chan even after they informed her she had left them with no alternative."

If the record companies are successful in court, it could potentially provide the RIAA with a new weapon in prosecuting minors for downloading music over P2P services: by appointing another legal guardian if parents fail to take responsibility for their children.

An investigation by the record companies found that a computer within the Chan household contained 829 illegally shared music files. Brittany Chan had already admitted to using the P2P account linked to these files, "Spicybrnweyedgirl."