dr emulator (madmax)
08-01-2009, 09:48 PM
news from msn
http://news.uk.msn.com/world/article.aspx?cp-documentid=148931803
A US federal jury has ordered a Boston University graduate student who admitted illegally downloading and sharing music online to pay 675,000 dollars (£407,000) to four record labels.
Joel Tenenbaum, of Providence, Rhode Island, admitted in court that he downloaded and distributed 30 songs.
The only issue for the jury to decide was how much in damages to award the record labels.
Under federal law, the recording companies were entitled to 750 dollars (£450) to 30,000 dollars (£18,000) per infringement. But the law allows as much as 150,000 dollars (£90,500) per track if the jury finds the infringements were wilful. The maximum jurors could have awarded in Tenenbaum's case was 4.5 million dollars (£2.7 million).
Jurors ordered Tenenbaum to pay 22,500 dollars (£13,500) for each incident of copyright infringement, effectively finding that his actions were wilful. The lawyer for the 25-year-old student had earlier asked the jury to "send a message" to the music industry by awarding only minimal damages.
Tenenbaum said he was thankful that the case wasn't in the millions and contrasted the significance of his fine with the maximum.
Tenenbaum's lawyer, Harvard Law School professor Charles Nesson, said the jury's verdict was not fair. He said he plans to appeal the decision because he was not allowed to argue a case based on fair use.
The Recording Industry Association of America issued a statement thanking the jury for recognising the impact illegal downloading has on the music community.
"We appreciate that Mr Tenenbaum finally acknowledged that artists and music companies deserve to be paid for their work," the statement said. "From the beginning, that's what this case has been all about. We only wish he had done so sooner rather than lie about his illegal behaviour."
well what can i say ey don't do the crime if you don't wanna pay the fine ;)
http://news.uk.msn.com/world/article.aspx?cp-documentid=148931803
A US federal jury has ordered a Boston University graduate student who admitted illegally downloading and sharing music online to pay 675,000 dollars (£407,000) to four record labels.
Joel Tenenbaum, of Providence, Rhode Island, admitted in court that he downloaded and distributed 30 songs.
The only issue for the jury to decide was how much in damages to award the record labels.
Under federal law, the recording companies were entitled to 750 dollars (£450) to 30,000 dollars (£18,000) per infringement. But the law allows as much as 150,000 dollars (£90,500) per track if the jury finds the infringements were wilful. The maximum jurors could have awarded in Tenenbaum's case was 4.5 million dollars (£2.7 million).
Jurors ordered Tenenbaum to pay 22,500 dollars (£13,500) for each incident of copyright infringement, effectively finding that his actions were wilful. The lawyer for the 25-year-old student had earlier asked the jury to "send a message" to the music industry by awarding only minimal damages.
Tenenbaum said he was thankful that the case wasn't in the millions and contrasted the significance of his fine with the maximum.
Tenenbaum's lawyer, Harvard Law School professor Charles Nesson, said the jury's verdict was not fair. He said he plans to appeal the decision because he was not allowed to argue a case based on fair use.
The Recording Industry Association of America issued a statement thanking the jury for recognising the impact illegal downloading has on the music community.
"We appreciate that Mr Tenenbaum finally acknowledged that artists and music companies deserve to be paid for their work," the statement said. "From the beginning, that's what this case has been all about. We only wish he had done so sooner rather than lie about his illegal behaviour."
well what can i say ey don't do the crime if you don't wanna pay the fine ;)