MN Woman Busted for Copyright Infringement
A federal court has ordered Jammie Thomas-Rasset to pay $1.5 million for illegally sharing online music through Kazaa. The Recording Industry Association of America says Thomas-Rasset shared over 1,700 songs but they have chosen only to sue over 24. She has been in front of three different juries and each jury has found the same result, willful infringement. Federal law allows the copyright holder to sue for statutory or actual damages.
The claimant can seek anywhere between $750-$30,000 for each infringing act or up to $150,000 for each willful act. If the infringing activity began before the copyright was registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, then only actual damages can be sought.
Actual damages usually include the copyright's decline in market value because of the infringement. Claimants can show lost profits through their own financial statements. Ms. Thomas-Rasset's attorney says they are planning on appealing the judgments and that these amounts of damages are unconstitutional.
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For more information on copyright protections, contact Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A., a full-service law firm with offices located in Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
