The Recording Industry Association of America has filed lawsuits against 751 people suspected of illegally distributing copyrighted music, including students at Drexel University, Harvard University and the University of Southern California.

The "John Doe" suits filed Thursday cite individuals for swapping copyrighted music via unauthorized file-sharing networks, such as LimeWire and Kazaa. The RIAA will now seek court permission to take legal steps to try to identify the defendants.

In addition, the industry trade group said it filed lawsuits against 105 named defendants living across a dozen states, including Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Texas and Wisconsin.

The suits are meant to send to "a clear message that stealing music will bring consequences," Cary Sherman, president of the RIAA said in a statement.

“The end of the year is an especially important time for the music community, and an especially fortunate time for music fans, with a great slate of new releases in stores," Sherman said. “We must do everything to protect the integrity of the marketplace."

Despite the latest round of lawsuits, experts disagree as to whether taking legal action against music fans is an effective deterrent to music piracy.