1. Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) v. Jammie Thomas Capitol v. Thomas

2. Unauthorized Sharing RIAA tries to combat unauthorized sharing of music. Internet users suspected of illegal file sharing are: – Identified by their IP address – Sent a letter accusing them of file sharing – Offered an opportunity to settle before a lawsuit is filed – Typical settlements were between $3,000 and $12,000.

3. August 2005 – Jammie Thomas of Brainerd, MN sent a cease- and-desist letter and settlement offer for downloading and sharing 24 songs on Kazaa. – Thomas refused to settle April 2006 – Several major record labels sued Thomas for copyright infringement

4. 1 st Civil Jury Trial October 2007 Thomas held liable Recording industry awarded – $222,000 ($9,250 per song)

5. 2 nd Civil Jury Trial June 2009 Thomas held liable Recording industry awarded – $1,920,000 ($80,000 per song)

6. Remittitur January 2010 Remittitur = a ruling by a judge lowering the amount of damages granted by a jury in a civil case. Damages reduced – $54,000 ($2,250 per song) Plaintiffs (the Recording Industry) rejected the adjustment

7. 3 rd Civil Jury Trial (damages only) November 2010 Recording Industry awarded – $1,500,000 ($62,500 per song)

8. Damages Reduced July 2011 Damages reduced to “constitutional maximum” – $54,000 ($2,250 per song) Also see Sony BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum