RIAA Victim’s $1.92 Million Fine Reduced to $54,000
Last Summer Jammie Thomas lost her retrial against the RIAA and was ordered to pay $1.92 million for 24 songs she shared via Kazaa. Many were shocked by the high amount of the fine, and so was Judge Davis who now lowered the fine to $54,000.
According to Judge Michael Davis the damages are lowered because the initial fine was “so grossly excessive as to shock the conscience of the court. A verdict is not considered excessive unless there is plain injustice or a monstrous or shocking result.”
The result is that, if Thomas is able to pay anything at all, the RIAA will have ‘only’ $54,000 to add to their anti-piracy funds instead of the $1.92 million it was awarded initially.
RIAA spokesman Jonathan Lamy previously informed us that the ‘damages’ will not go to any of the artists, but to more anti-piracy campaigns. “Any funds recouped are re-invested into our ongoing education and anti-piracy programs,” he said.
The RIAA has 7 days to challenge the reduced verdict and request for a new trial.
Joel Tenenbaum, the Boston student hit with $650,000 in damages back in July 2009, has filed for a new trial earlier this month, also because of excessive damages.
Its good that the fine was lowered to at least a sum that could be obtained thru huge loans..
I would however recommend that the RIAA use any money they recieve be used to pay for pain and suffering to the victims made by the RIAA wrongful behavior.
The whole process is academic anyway, the RIAA will never receive a dime from this defendant.
this is clearly unfair and unjust treatment.
The punishment doesn’t fit the crime.
The songs can be purchased legally for around .15 or if you want to go the itunes route, 1.00
The RIAA have indeed failed, and this is just an indication like 2009 it wont be a good one
Id pay it, ONLY as a donation to a Childrens charity The Kids deserve it more :)
RIAA not going to appeal.. Thomas should just file for bankruptcy… 0 Dollars to the RIAA…
Just another way the RIAA is screwing the actual musicians and singers who MAKE the actual music. How about recouping their $0.02 that they could have made for each of those songs. We all should know that these BIG “artists” don’t make much, if at all, off their album sales.
[...] y el juez Michael Davis y el jurado también pensaron que esto era una verdadera locura y por eso redujeron la multa a US$54 mil (si me preguntan también me parece [...]
lol
we as musicians don`t really make any money off our album sales the riaa doesn`t pay us nothing or at least me any way lol
ha ha viva tha revolution.!!
if i was a musician i was producing my own works and never giving any profits to that kind of persons who live on the creativity of others. musicians must take measures against this. intelligent measures. music is in the air, who cares about the music industry corporations.
[...] at the huge damages eventually resulted in Judge Davis lowering the damages last week to [...]
thats a good all around decision, 54k is still enough to teach this thief a lesson.
[...] the RIAA’s case against Jamie Thomas, the jury-awarded damages werereduced significantly as the excessive damages were ruled to be unconstitutional. Today, the same thing has happened with [...]
[...] the RIAA’s case against Jamie Thomas, the jury-awarded damages werereduced significantly as the excessive damages were ruled to be unconstitutional. Today, the same thing has happened with [...]
[...] the RIAA’s case against Jamie Thomas, the jury-awarded damages were reduced significantly as the excessive damages were ruled to be unconstitutional. Today, the same thing has happened with [...]
[...] the RIAA’s case against Jamie Thomas, the jury-awarded damages were reduced significantly as the excessive damages were ruled to be unconstitutional. Today, the same thing has happened with [...]