Jammie Thomas-Rasset is a 32 year-old mother of two, from Brainerd, Minnesota. In 2007, either her ex-boyfriend or one of her two sons (then ages 10 an 8) downloaded and shared 24 songs off of the the Kazaa peer-to-peer network. Look what happened:
The recording industry secured a resounding victory when a Minnesota jury awarded the four major labels $1.92 million in damages after unanimously finding that Jammie Thomas-Rasset had willfully infringed on their copyrights by downloading and sharing 24 songs on the Kazaa peer-to-peer network.
The mammoth size of the verdict, representing $80,000 per track, may help dissuade more P2P users from illegally downloading music, and for that the labels are happy. “We appreciate the jury’s service and that they take this as seriously as we do,” RIAA spokeswoman Cara Duckworth said in a statement.
“We are pleased that the jury agreed with the evidence and found the defendant liable.”
The jury didn’t just find the defendant liable. They crushed her like a bug and ruined her life.
Thomas-Rasset’s attorney, Kiwi Camara, said he was “very surprised” by the size of the verdict and signaled a willingness to talk about a possible settlement with the labels.
Gee, you think?
Actually, they might appeal this verdict and the record companies are willing to work out some kind of deal, so she won’t be on the hook for the full amount. Still, the thieves on Wall Street don’t get hit with these kind of penalties, but a single-mom in Brainerd, Minnesota gets run over by a locomotive.
