DOJ Favors Illegal Downloading Verdict

DOJ Favors Illegal Downloading Verdict

The Department of Justice has supported a court’s decision to fine Jammie Thomas-Rasset , a woman alleged to have illegally downloaded 24 songs. Rasset was directed to pay $1.92m (£1.16m) to Capital Records.
 

"The federal copyright statute, enacted by the First Congress and subject to numerous revisions since that time, has consistently authorised the awarding of statutory damages to ensure significant monetary awards in copyright infringement lawsuits that will make copyright owners whole and deter further infringement,” DOJ noted.

 

"This historical approach is followed in the current version of the Copyright Act's statutory damages provision: it provides compensation to copyright owners who have to invest resources into protecting property that is often unquantifiable in value, and deters those infringing parties who think they will go undetected in committing this serious public wrong."

 

Thomas-Rasset was first fined $224,000 (£136,000) back in 2007 for downloading and sharing 12 sons in P2P website Kazaa. An appeal was brought to the higher court, where Thomas-Rassett was again fined $1.92 million. Another appeal is currently on track.