Duluth, MN fileswapper Jammie Thomas-Rasset just got the lawsuit version of one of those out-of-control ALL CAPS rant-y emails people send around from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), in the form of a $1.5 million lawsuit. That’s $62,500 per song! Ms. Thomas, you see, once shared 24 songs online, a copyright infringement that did not make Capitol happy. In the second trial — this is Thomas-Rasset’s third — the judge lowered her damages from $1.92 million to $54,000, calling the initial amount from the second trial “shocking.”
“We are again thankful to the jury for its service in this matter and that they recognized the severity of the defendant’s misconduct,” the RIAA said in a statement. “Now with three jury decisions behind us along with a clear affirmation of Ms. Thomas-Rasset’s willful liability, it is our hope that she finally accepts responsibility for her actions.”
This latest trial was purely to re-determine the amount of damages after unsuccessful negotiations, so it’s likely that Thomas-Rasset’s lawyers will argue once again for this amount to be reduced. After all, the first trial saw damages of “only” $222,000 ($9,250/song)!
