Nettwerk joins RIAA court battle.(News)

Nettwerk Music Group is taking a stand against the RIAA's online piracy crackdown, by paying the legal costs of the 15-year-old American girl who hit headlines worldwide last year after being sued for file-sharing.

Nettwerk, the management firm behind artists including Avril Lavigne and Sarah McLachlan, has agreed to pay all legal fees and any subsequent fines in a case launched last year by the US recording organisation against teenager Elisa Greubers father David Greubel, after it accused her of illegally having 600 tracks on her computer.

The clampdown against the 15-year-old--facing a fine of $9,000 (5,040 [pounds sterling])--came as part of an ongoing wave of legal actions mounted by the RIAA against illegal file-sharing. Among nine tracks specifically targeted in the Greubel case was Sk8er Boi by the Nettwerk-managed Avril Lavigne.

Nettwerk music group CEO Terry McBride is keen to see his operation distanced from the RIAA's legal stance. "We do not want our artists associated with this kind of action," he told Music Week. "I don't agree with it. I don't agree with suing your future. You can't sue your fans, then six months later go out and ask them to buy your new album or buy tickets to your concert."

Nettwerk became involved in the battle with the RIAA when the teenager wrote to Nettwerk artist MC Lars expressing her enjoyment of a track from his debut album, Download This Song. In a post to MC Lars' website, she wrote, "My family is one of 10 ...