The MPAA filed seven lawsuits against

"Torrent, eDonkey and Newsgroup websites that are responsible for facilitating illegal swapping of copyrighted files between millions of users around the world. They provide a massive directory of illegal content to users and encourage people to traffic in copyrighted motion pictures, televisions shows, music, software and games."

C|Net News notes:

The lawsuits mark an expansion of the copyright holders' legal strategy in the file-swapping world, targeting sites that help make downloading easier, but aren't actually delivering the files or the swapping technology themselves.

It's also the first time the group has sued organizations that direct their members to the Usenet newsgroup system, an MPAA spokeswoman said.

To repeat, the principal sufferers from illicit file-sharers are consumers; someone must pay for the movies or they cannot be made, and the file-sharers are free-riders on the payments made by the responsible segments of the viewing community. In the end, an expression of collective disapproval of chiseling by that viewing community is a crucial part of a successful system of Internet distribution.