RIAA

File-Swapper Rejects RIAA Offer of Further Reduced Damages

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 27, 2010 - 10:24am.

San Francisco - After a federal judge last week reduced the amount of damages convicted file-swapper Jammie Thomas-Rasset must pay from $1.92 million to $54,000, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on Wednesday offered to accept payment of just $25,000 -- provided Thomas-Rasset ask the judge to "vacate" his reduced damages decision, CNET News.com reported.

Judge Slashes $1.92M File-Sharing Verdict to $54,000

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 25, 2010 - 8:50am.

Duluth, Minn. - A federal judge on Monday set aside a $1.92 million damages verdict against Jammie Thomas-Rasset, the first person to be convicted of copyright infringement on a file-sharing network. U.S. District Judge Michael Davis has instead reduced the damages award from the $80,000 per song for the 24 songs she was convicted by a jury of sharing on the Kazaa file-sharing network, to $2,250 per song -- for a new total of $54,000.

CNET: Verizon Suspending Service of Repeat File-Swappers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 20, 2010 - 12:19pm.

San Francisco - Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) acknowledged that it has penalized an undisclosed number of its Internet access subscribers who failed to comply with multiple file-sharing warning letters with service interruptions, CNET News.com reported. "We've cut some people off," Verizon Online spokeswoman Bobbi Henson told CNET.

Michael Robertson: Apple Planning Cloud-based Music Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 20, 2010 - 11:52am.

Palo Alto, Calif. - Despite speculation that Apple (NASD: AAPL) acquired streaming music service Lala so that it could launch a subscription plan alongside outright sales at its iTunes Store, digital music veteran Michael Robertson postulated in a guest post on TechCrunch that the company is actually planning a cloud-based service. Among Lala's assets is a personal storage service, which loads a user's personal music library into an online locker, so that users can stream their collection from any Web-connected device.

Obama DOJ Defends $675,000 File-sharing Damages Award

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 20, 2010 - 11:28am.

Washington - The Obama Justice Dept. has submitted a filing defending a $675,000 damages award for copyright infringement on a file-sharing network, the Copyrights and Campaigns blog reported. Joel Tenenbaum was found guilty of sharing 30 songs on Kazaa, and ordered to pay the record labels damages of $22,500 per song. He has since asked the court to either reduce the damages or grant him a new trial, arguing the damages amount is unconstitutional.

Labels Petition Swedish Court Make Pirate Bay Pay Fines

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 12, 2010 - 11:19am.

Stockholm, Sweden - The four major record labels have petitioned the courts in Sweden to compel two operators of file-sharing hub The Pirate Bay to pay fines resulting from their convictions on charges of copyright infringement last year. The court ordered Gottfrid Svartholm and Fredrik Neij to cease operating the site, or else face fines of $71,000 each.

Guilty File-Swapper Tenenbaum Seeks New Trial

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 5, 2010 - 10:09am.

Boston - Joel Tenenbaum, the Boston-area student who was found guilty of sharing 30 songs online and ordered to pay the major record labels $675,000 in copyright infringement damages, has petitioned the court for a new trial.

File-Swapper to Pay Labels $675K; Will Seek New Trial

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 8, 2009 - 10:02am.

Boston - A federal judge has ordered grad student Joel Tenenbaum, found guilty of copyright infringement for file-sharing, to pay a total of $675,000 in compensation to the major record labels, and destroy the 30 songs he downloaded illegally, but stopped short of the labels' demands that he cease "promoting" file-sharing, the Associated Press reported. The labels had alleged that Tenenbaum was encouraging users to visit a Swedish file-sharing hub, and although Tenenbaum denied any connection to the site, the court said it would not move to silence any criticism of copyright law or the recording industry.

NBC Universal Among Authors of Verizon Copyright Letters

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 16, 2009 - 12:05pm.

San Francisco - NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) is among the studios on whose behalf Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is sending its ISP subscribers notices that they are suspected of violating copyrights on filesharing networks, CNET News.com reported, citing multiple unnamed sources. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was reported last week to have engaged Verizon to deliver copyright letters on its behalf; an undisclosed number of other studios and copyright owners have made similar requests.

Verizon to Begin Forwarding RIAA "Copyright Notices"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 13, 2009 - 9:17am.

San Francisco - Mobile operator Verizon Wireless will this week begin sending "copyright notices" on behalf of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), to subscribers suspected of illegally downloading songs, CNET News.com reported, citing sources with knowledge of the agreement. The letter reportedly urges the recipient to delete the content they distribute, but does not include threats of potential service interruptions as a penalty.

RIAA Seeks Injunction Against Convicted File-Swapper

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 4, 2009 - 7:46am.

Boston - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is seeking an injunction against Joel Tenenbaum, who was recently convicted of copyright infringement on a file-sharing network and ordered to pay $675,000 in damages, that would prohibit him from committing further infringements, Ars Technica reports. They argue that Tenenbaum continued to use file-sharing networks even after being sued in federal court, and continues to promote copyright infringement because The Pirate Bay recently featured a 30-song sampler called "DJ Joel: The $675,000 Mixtape." The RIAA is similarly seeking an injunction against convicted file-swapper Jammie Thomas-Rasset, who was ordered to pay $1.92 million in damages.

Convicted File-Swapper Asks Judge to Reduce $1.92M Penalty

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 1, 2009 - 8:00am.

Duluth, Minn. - Convicted file-swapper Jammie Thomas-Rasset has argued in a court filing that the $1.92 million in damages she was ordered to pay the record industry for sharing 24 songs violates her right to due process, and is seeking to have the penalty reduced. Her attorneys argue that the damages are arbitrary and unconstitutional, given that a jury first ordered her to pay $10,000 per song -- in a decision that was tossed out -- before a second jury said she should pay $80,000 per song.

Court: Yahoo's Launchcast Not an 'Interactive' Music Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 21, 2009 - 10:54am.

New York - A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling that said Yahoo's (NASD: YHOO) Launchcast is not an "interactive" digital music service, and as such should not be required to pay record labels additional fees to play their songs online, Reuters reported. Yahoo will still pay SoundExchange licensing fees for songs played on its Web radio service, but will not have to negotiate fees with individual labels.

Obama Justice Dept. Defends $1.92M File-Swapping Damages

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 17, 2009 - 3:00pm.

Washington - The U.S. Department of Justice has defended the constitutionality of an award of $1.92 million in damages for copyright infringement on a file-sharing network, which a jury ordered Kazaa user Jammie Thomas-Rasset to pay the major record labels.

Harvard Law's Charles Nesson to Appeal File-Sharing Damages

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 11, 2009 - 12:32pm.

Boston - The New York Times and Ars Technica both published interviews on Tuesday with Charles Nesson, the Harvard Law professor who failed to get admitted file-swapper Joel Tenenbaum off the hook from copyright infringement charges brought by the major record labels. A federal judge declared Tenenbaum guilty, after which a jury ordered him to pay the labels $675,000 in damages. Nesson told The Times he is "counting on winning on appeal," will ask for a reduced penalty at an upcoming hearing, and still plans on pursuing a class action suit against the labels over their litigation campaign against file-swappers.

Senate Judiciary Holds Hearing on Performance Rights Act

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 6, 2009 - 8:52am.

Washington - The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony from artists, record labels and broadcasters earlier this week on whether terrestrial radio stations should have to royalties to performers on records, instead of just songwriters. Artists including Sheila E, Sheryl Crow, Herbie Hancock and will.i.am, along with record labels represented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), argued in favor of additional royalty payments to performers, while radio broadcasters like Clear Channel argued they would cause financial hardship.

Jury Orders File-Swapper to Pay Record Labels $675,000

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 3, 2009 - 7:34am.

Boston - A federal jury has ordered convicted file-swapper Joel Tenenbaum to pay the major record labels $675,000 in damages, after he admitted in court to having shared 30 of their copyrighted songs on file-sharing networks. Tenenbaum, who could have faced damages as high as $4.5 million under the law, will instead pay $22,500 per song shared -- a sum he said will lead him to file for bankruptcy if it stands.

Judge Finds File-Swapper Guilty; Jury to Determine Damages

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 31, 2009 - 4:54am.

Boston - After the defendant admitted his guilt in open court on Thursday, a federal judge has ruled that Boston grad student Joel Tenenbaum committed copyright infringement on a file-sharing network, leaving the jury to decide whether his infringement was "willful," and determine the amount of monetary damages he will pay the recording industry. Should the jury find that Tenenbaum willfully infringed Sony Music's copyrights on 30 songs, he could be liable for up to $4.5 million in damages.

Accused File-Swapper Tenenbaum Admits Guilt at Trial

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 30, 2009 - 11:51am.

Boston - Accused file-swapper Joel Tenebaum admitted in court on Thursday that he did in fact offer songs for upload via his Kazaa file-sharing network account, according to published reports. It seems likely now that Tenenbaum's defense in the copyright infringement case brought by the recording industry will hinge on the damages he will have to pay. Tenenbaum's attorney, Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson, has argued that the $150,000-per-song maximum damage award under the law is unconstitutionally high, and does not reflect actual damages suffered by the labels.

Trial of Accused File-Swapper Underway in Boston

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 29, 2009 - 11:59am.

Boston - Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson argued in court on Tuesday that grad student Joel Tenenbaum was among "millions" of Americans who downloaded songs for free on file-sharing networks, during Tenebaum's trial on charges of copyright infringement brought by major record label Sony Music, Ars Technica reported. The record industry produced witnesses, including Tenenbaum's own father, who recounted Joel showing him how Kazaa worked, or denied having used Kazaa on Joel's computer. Tenenbaum himself was expected to take the stand on Wednesday.

File-Swapper Rejects RIAA Offer of Further Reduced Damages

Judge Slashes $1.92M File-Sharing Verdict to $54,000

CNET: Verizon Suspending Service of Repeat File-Swappers

Michael Robertson: Apple Planning Cloud-based Music Service

Obama DOJ Defends $675,000 File-sharing Damages Award

Labels Petition Swedish Court Make Pirate Bay Pay Fines

Guilty File-Swapper Tenenbaum Seeks New Trial

File-Swapper to Pay Labels $675K; Will Seek New Trial

NBC Universal Among Authors of Verizon Copyright Letters

Verizon to Begin Forwarding RIAA "Copyright Notices"

RIAA Seeks Injunction Against Convicted File-Swapper

Convicted File-Swapper Asks Judge to Reduce $1.92M Penalty

Court: Yahoo's Launchcast Not an 'Interactive' Music Service

Obama Justice Dept. Defends $1.92M File-Swapping Damages

Harvard Law's Charles Nesson to Appeal File-Sharing Damages

Senate Judiciary Holds Hearing on Performance Rights Act

Jury Orders File-Swapper to Pay Record Labels $675,000

Judge Finds File-Swapper Guilty; Jury to Determine Damages

Accused File-Swapper Tenenbaum Admits Guilt at Trial

Trial of Accused File-Swapper Underway in Boston

Upcoming DMW Events

DMW 100 Financial Index

Recent comments

Navigation

User login

Ads

Contributors

DMW Columns

Content by Type

Translate Site

Daily Newsletter and Networking

Latest Top Stories

DMW Widget - Grab it and embed!

Latest Briefly Noted

Poll

Our Sponsors

Other Ads

Our Publications