Young Man Fined $675,000 By RIAA For Illegally Distributing 31 Songs
posted in: Music News
Joel Tenenbaum has been in an ongoing court battle with the RIAA over 31 songs that he illegally distributed on Kazaa. The case finally came to a close yesterday, leaving Tenenbaum liable for $675,000. Gizmodo.com summarized it thusly: “That’s nearly $22,000 per song, plus some wholesale character assassination that has now been sealed with judge’s rubber stamp.”
While it may seem like an excessive punishment (and it most certainly is) this fine is apparently very low compared to the maximum $4.65 million penalty he could have faced. So the judge believes, “it was awfully nice of the jury to be so lenient.” Needless to say, Tenenbaum’s life will be riddled with financial turmoil for quite some time over a measly 31 songs. That oughta teach all those Internet pirates a lesson! …Right?
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