Illegally downloading music is a crime that should be punished. However, it seems a bit harsh to ruin somebody for doing so.
Reuters reports that the 8th Circuit Court of Apples in St. Paul, MN has reinstated a verdict demanding a woman by the name of Jamie Thomas-Rasset pay $220,000 for illegally downloading and sharing 22 songs.
I am not aware of the back story. Did the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) try to work something out with her? Was she was caught several times? Are there other extenuating factors? Those caveats notwithstanding, it seems vindictive to ruin somebody financially for such a misstep, especially something so common.
***
Add Comment