AUGUSTA – A recording industry trade group has filed a federal lawsuit against an Augusta man accusing him of illegally pirating and sharing copyrighted music on the Internet.

The Recording Industry Association of America filed the complaint against Scott Hinds, 23, in U.S. District Court in Bangor.

The complaint alleges that Hinds used an “online media distribution system” to load songs and then distribute them to others. The complaint specifies five pirated songs by Tracy Chapman, Nora Jones, the Dave Matthews Band, N.W.A. and Live.

RIAA spokeswoman Amanda Hunter said 18,000 similar complaints have been filed since September 2003, but only six of those have been in Maine.

Hinds said he doesn’t know why he is being targeted, and that he no longer listens to music online. He faces a minimum civil penalty of $750 per song.

“Why choose me?” he asked. “Every single person has done this.”