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Single mom can't pay $1.5M song-sharing fine
MSNBC ^ | 11.4.10 | Amy Forliti

Posted on 11/05/2010 4:23:36 PM PDT by paudio

A federal jury found Wednesday that Jammie Thomas-Rasset, of Brainerd, must pay $62,500 per song — for a total of $1.5 million — for illegally violating copyrights on 24 songs. This was the third jury to consider damages in her case, and each has found that she must pay — though different amounts. And after each time, the single mother of four has said she can't pay. "I can't afford to pay any amount. It's not a matter of won't, it's a matter of 'I can't,'" Thomas-Rasset said Thursday. "Any amount that I pay to them is money that I could use to feed my children. Any amount that I pay to them is money I could use to clothe my kids, and pay my mortgage so my kids have a place to sleep."

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News
KEYWORDS: kazaa; p2p; riaa
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She doesn't want to pay whatsoever, except perhaps $1, the price of downloading a song from iTune.
1 posted on 11/05/2010 4:23:39 PM PDT by paudio
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To: paudio
...must pay $62,500 per song — for a total of $1.5 million — for illegally violating copyrights on 24 songs.

ROTF!

Hey, she's a single mom, toss all credibility for responsible living out the window anyway.

2 posted on 11/05/2010 4:27:06 PM PDT by EGPWS (Trust in God, question everyone else)
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To: paudio

Zero sympathy for her here.


3 posted on 11/05/2010 4:28:01 PM PDT by Artemis Webb
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To: paudio

If only she had heard of Usenet. Or Freenet. Or Tor. Or..or..


4 posted on 11/05/2010 4:28:56 PM PDT by Soothesayer9
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To: EGPWS

Maybe Olberman can help her.


5 posted on 11/05/2010 4:29:06 PM PDT by WOBBLY BOB ( "I don't want the majority if we don't stand for something"- Jim Demint)
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To: paudio

“Any amount that I pay to them is money that I could use to feed my children. Any amount that I pay to them is money I could use to clothe my kids, and pay my mortgage so my kids have a place to sleep.”

Wasn’t too worded about that when you were downloading all of those tunes.


6 posted on 11/05/2010 4:30:15 PM PDT by VanDeKoik (1 million in stimulus dollars paid for this tagline!)
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To: Artemis Webb

And I have no sympathy for the RIAA. That organization has been known to follow kids home from school making threats that they were going to take their homes.

I hope they don’t get a dime.


7 posted on 11/05/2010 4:30:34 PM PDT by jerry557
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To: EGPWS
Hey, she's a single mom, toss all credibility for responsible living out the window anyway.

It's possible that she's a widow or her husband abandoned her. Admittedly, it's not likely, but it's possible.

8 posted on 11/05/2010 4:31:21 PM PDT by John the Savage
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To: Soothesayer9

Yep, SSL over Usenet and the RIAA can suck it.


9 posted on 11/05/2010 4:31:28 PM PDT by The Iceman Cometh (What do Snap-On and Obama have in common? They're both tools.)
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To: paudio
What part of the Constitution gives the federal government power over contracts, file sharing, and allows punative damages?

Congress has the power to issue copyrights. Is the remedy only federal? And should it be so draconian?

Stealing is wrong. Even/especially if it is intellectual property. But $62K/song? That seems like over-reach.

Does the fine make the complaintant whole?

I'm not happy with the outcome here, on either end. 30 days in jail for the perp, and restitution should suffice.

/johnny

10 posted on 11/05/2010 4:32:13 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: paudio

she needs a bailout. where are the Dems?


11 posted on 11/05/2010 4:32:37 PM PDT by sappy (criminalibs)
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To: paudio

So does she have to be married in order to pay it?


12 posted on 11/05/2010 4:33:19 PM PDT by dforest
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To: paudio
She doesn't want to pay whatsoever, except perhaps $1, the price of downloading a song from iTune.

Sorry, but a 1.5 million dollar fine for downloading songs off the internet is ridiculous.

13 posted on 11/05/2010 4:35:27 PM PDT by Drew68
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To: JRandomFreeper

And if she just shoplifted the CD.....

Crazy world...stay safe !

Hope yer well.


14 posted on 11/05/2010 4:36:46 PM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet)
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To: Drew68

The song people don’t want the money anyway, they just want to scare the bejeebers out of others who might do the same thing.


15 posted on 11/05/2010 4:38:48 PM PDT by Venturer
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To: paudio

What makes a song worth $62,500?


16 posted on 11/05/2010 4:39:02 PM PDT by razorback-bert (Some days it's not worth chewing through the straps.)
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To: jerry557

Awwwww...she broke the law.
She KNEW she was breaking the law.
She didn’t care.

Now she cares.


17 posted on 11/05/2010 4:39:29 PM PDT by Artemis Webb
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To: razorback-bert
"What makes a song worth $62,500?"

It doesn't matter. If my dog takes a crap and I say that crap is worth $5 million dollars and you steal it...you owe me $5 million.

18 posted on 11/05/2010 4:41:09 PM PDT by Artemis Webb
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To: John the Savage
It's possible that she's a widow or her husband abandoned her. Admittedly, it's not likely, but it's possible.

That would be "widow" or "abandoned wife" not "single mother".

It's not splitting hairs it's just proper logic.

19 posted on 11/05/2010 4:43:21 PM PDT by EGPWS (Trust in God, question everyone else)
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To: razorback-bert
A la Latrell Sprewell, Snoop Dogg has a family to feed.

Perhaps several.

20 posted on 11/05/2010 4:44:32 PM PDT by daler
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