The music industry continued its battle against peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharers by filing lawsuits against 750 individuals yesterday, targeting people using applications like LimeWire and Kazaa to illegally download music.

In addition to these "John Doe" lawsuits filed against people whose Internet service provider protects their anonymity, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said it also filed lawsuits against 112 named individuals in January.

In a statement RIAA President Cary Sherman claimed his group will continue to "hold illegal downloaders accountable" as music companies roll out more and more legal download services.

"Prosecuting song-lifting is integral to helping protect the ability of record companies to invest in the up-and-coming bands of tomorrow and level the playing field for legal online services," he said. "The illegal downloading of music is just as wrong as shoplifting from a local store. It's against the law, and breaking the law must carry consequences."

The move brings the total of RIAA lawsuits filed against individuals to more than 16,800.