Court Overturns Kazaa File Sharing Verdict

MediaPost is reporting that in a dramatic reversal for the record industry, a federal district court judge just overturned a $220,000 verdict against single mother Jammie Thomas.

This is the one where the judge had originally ruled that a defendant could be liable just for making music tracks available on Kazaa. In a new trial, the report said that the RIAA will now have to prove that someone actually downloaded the tracks—hopefully without employing more of the questionable tactics they’ve become famous for.

The judge also said in the ruling that the damages originally rewarded to the RIAA were ridiculously high.

“While the Court does not discount Plaintiffs’ claim that, cumulatively, illegal downloading has far-reaching effects on their businesses, the damages awarded in this case are wholly disproportionate to the damages suffered by Plaintiffs,” Judge Michael Davis wrote. “Thomas allegedly infringed on the copyrights of 24 songs—the equivalent of approximately three CDs, costing less than $54, and yet the total damages awarded is $222,000—more than five hundred times the cost of buying 24 separate CDs and more than four thousand times the cost of three CDs.”

(Image credit: Clipart.com)

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