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Illegal downloader ordered to pay $222,000
A clear message was sent to illegal downloaders on the 4 October, that pirating and distributing content is a very costly risk.
A US federal jury ordered, Jammie Thomas of Minnesota, to pay $222,000 for sharing copyrighted music through the Kazaa peer-to-peer network service, marking the first time a case like this has gone to trial.
Even though the Recording Industry of America (RIAA) has lost more money through pursuit of over 26,000 cases since 2003, it states that the monetary awards are not the main driving force behind the actions, but to send a message that illegally downloading music is a crime and carries with it serious risks.
With the high number of cases that have been through the courts, according to BigChampagne LLC, a research firm specialising in tracking file-sharing traffic, the number of illegal file-sharers has actually increased by 69% since 2003, to over 9.4 million today.
'That suggests the publicity has had a limited effect in deterring people from swapping music online', said Eric Garland, CEO of BigChampagne.
Illegal downloads have 'become business as usual. Nobody really thinks about it' said Cary Sherman, president of RIAA, who coordinates all RIAA lawsuits. ‘This case has put it back in the news … people will understand we are out there trying to protect our rights’.
It is not known at this time whether Thomas will appeal the courts ruling.
The record companies involved in the lawsuit are Sony BMG, Arista Records LLC, Interscope Records, UMG Recordings Inc., Capitol Records Inc., and Warner Bros. Records Inc.
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