A woman who won a retrial after a US$220,000 verdict against her for sharing music files has now been ordered to pay $1.92 million by a jury in Minnesota.
In 2007, when she lost the original suit, Jammie Thomas-Rasset was one of the first people to receive a guilty verdict in a case backed by the Recording Industry Association of America, which has filed more than 20,000 lawsuits against people in a bid to stop online music trading and copyright infringement.
On Thursday, a jury ordered her to pay $80,000 for each of the 24 songs she is accused of illegally trading over the Kazaa Internet service. The jury could have ordered her to pay between $750 and $150,000 per song.
In a statement, the RIAA said it was pleased that the jury found the defendant liable and that it continues to be willing to settle the case.
Thomas' case has been closely followed, in part because she was a single parent of two children and did not appear to be trading massive volumes of music.
After her case went to court, the recording industry late last year said it would no longer pursue individuals who trade in small numbers of songs. Instead it pledged to first notify ISPs of people who trade large volumes of songs and ask for the ISPs' help in shutting down the activity.
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The RIAA tells the U.S. to suck it's wiener...and they do.
Here is Mr. Rock and Roll himself Cary Sherman.
He is the HNIC at the RIAA.
What did he win aside from destroying some woman's life?
What did he spend to assure he won the lawsuit which I have absolutely no doubt will never, ever be paid?
Like the woman has $1.92 Million laying around.
Cary wasn't after money of course, he has gold coins coming out of his ass when he farts I am sure.
He was after precedent...which he got.
Now your ALL potential for being sued out of existence.
Funny part is I have been taking CD's out of my local library, ripping them, putting them on my MP3 and digging them.
So in essence the state is now sharing music illegally, for free.
No money to the record company.
No money to the artists.
No money to anyone.
It's like freaking Heaven on Earth and it's all illegal apparently.
I don't know what to think anymore.
Cary could have thrown that money at a charity, a college fund, any number of great causes would have loved to have what Cary Sherman threw at suing Jammie Thomas.
And WTF? Between $750.00 and $150,000.00 per song?
Have you ever heard of a unarmed robber taking $100 from the local 7-Eleven, being caught and having to pay $15,000,000.00 in restitution?
What kind of retarded jury did the prosecution manage to get on board with this?
I guess I shouldn't expect much more from Minnesota, aside from a little cousin on cousin love.
Since when did the music industry get into the business of destroying lives?
It's music!
It's not drugs, or military secrets, or some new fusion energy the oil companies want to keep under wraps.
It's just music and mostly bad music at that.
It's frigging Brittany Spears bullshit, lame ass, over produced, crap.
Here is the precedent Cary Sherman managed to set.
"Fuck with the RIAA and we will destroy you financially."
Who the hell granted the RIAA this kind of power?
Unfortunately for Cary, the Internet still exists.
I listen to unsigned musicians from their own grass roots web sites via pod casts.
I haven't bought a new CD now in about 3 years.
Used or from the library or the web...that's what Cary has taught me.
"Don't pay the bully, just walk around the block the other way."
Cary Sherman and the RIAA have convinced me to never again pay for a CD in the store from the manufacturer.
I have written this code of ethics for those of us to whom the RIAA appear repugnant.
Ethics Cary...sound out the word...you might have heard it before...I bet they taught it at Cornell University and Harvard Law School during your time there.
They must be so proud of all you have accomplished...
I digress....
I call it the;
"Civil Disobedience in regards to the RIAA Code of Ethics"
1) I will only buy used CDs from independent merchants.
2) I will borrow CDs on loan from my local library thereby involving the state and local authorities in any legal proceedings occurring from utilizing legal services paid for by my tax dollars.
3) I will donate my CDs to my local library after my use OR I will resell them to independent merchants directly.
4) I will freely loan or give my CDs to friends, family, coworkers or associates whom may want them for their personal use.
5) I will never again buy a new CD that is in any way affiliated or complies with the RIAA.
6) I will utilize the vast resources on the web for new and original music I never heard before.
7) I will shut off my radio or change my listening habits as broadcasters adhere to strictly enforced play list rotations of what they deem of worth to me.
8) I will openly speak and promote the music I discover without RIAA regulation involvement to my friends, family, coworkers and associates.
9) I will avoid artist's creative works when said artists comply or work in conjunction with the RIAA in any way, shape or form. ( This in particular avoids having substandard "talent" shoved down our collective throats by the record industry, ala Lady GaGa)
10) I will practice my freedom of choice backed by the power of not spending my money in any direction the RIAA directly or indirectly profits from.
Welcome To Detroit
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