Former ASCII Art Logo from an nfo |
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| Country | Worldwide |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1996-2007 |
| Category | mp3 warez |
| Founder(s) | BonethuG & N0fX[1] |
Rabid Neurosis (RNS) was an MP3 warez release organization which was founded on June 6, 1996.[2] In 1999, the group claimed to have released over 6,000 titles a year. RNS occasionally used the tagline "Rabid Neurosis - Spread The Epidemic." RNS were best known for releasing highly anticipated albums by hip-hop, pop, rock, and dance artists weeks and sometimes months before their official release date. RNS was sometimes believed to have started the mp3 scene. After their group was mentioned in an MTV News article about the early leak of the Eminem album Encore, RNS stopped including their initials in filenames and ID3 tags.
Their last release was Fall Out Boy's Infinity on High on January 19, 2007.[3]
On September 9, 2009, Four members of the defunct group were indicted by the United States Department of Justice for conspiracy to commit copyright infringement.[4]
On March 19, 2010, Matthew Chow, identified as a member of the group, was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit criminal infringement.[5] Federal authorities charged Chow with a single count of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Of the five other members of RNS, Adil Cassim of California was also found not guilty. Four other RNS members pled guilty to copyright infringement.[6]