Close to 500 more people have found themselves in the legal crosshair of the recording industry.

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The record labels -- through the Recording Industry Association of America -- have filed suit against another 493 people who the RIAA says have been illegally sharing music across the Internet.

That brings to nearly 3,000 the number of people who have been sued nationwide by the recording companies. As in the previous suits, the complaints have been filed against defendants named John Doe because they are identified only by their Internet protocol addresses.

Now, lawyers will work their way through the courts to find out the names behind the number. To do so, the attorneys will seek subpoenas against universities and Internet service providers to learn the defendants' names.

Some courts have ruled that the industry does not have the legal power to get information from ISPs.

None of previous casesc has yet gone to trial, but several hundred people have agreed to pay penalties of about $3,000 each.