Lawsuit of the Week

This week the eyes of the legal world (and the music-enjoying public) have been glued to a case about a woman who the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sued for illegally sharing music online, a violation of copyright law. After a long and winding road (considering the subject matter of the posting, maybe a nod to The Beatles would be appropriate here?) which has included settlement offers and two previous jury decisions, a third jury decided that Jammie Thomas-Rasset owed the RIAA $62,500...per song. As it was found that Ms. Thomas-Rasset willfully violated copyright laws on 24 songs, that totals a hefty $1.5 million penalty. Ms. Thomas-Rasset claims she cannot pay any amount and her lawyer has vowed to appeal on constitutional grounds. The Associated Press provides more details here.