[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Has the RIAA's Fight Against File Sharing Gone Too Far? here

[mdg1019]

YES!

[AltecLansing182]

A ridiculous verdict, and hopefully the last of this kind of thing, since the RIAA has ceased going after individuals and is now concentrating on getting ISPs to warn offenders. Juries are just a slice of society; people who would much rather be home watching TV or doing something other than occupying a temporary position of deification. The judgement is absurd. It was only proven that the woman's computer was the source, not that the woman herself actually did anything. There also had to be proof that the posted songs were subsequently downloaded, but that was never proven either. Her attorney sucked.

[Grr8008]

This is totally ridiculous. I just don't get how they can do this. All the evidence points that the Jury was crazy.

[dadofkmm]

The jury must have wanted to get home and download songs, maybe they thought by throwing the record companies a bone the RIAA would look the other way!!!

[goosmoo]

I won't bother commenting on the ridiculousness of the jury's verdict. No amount of thought by rational individuals would be able to explain that verdict. But to answer the question that was posted in the title of the article, yes the RIAA's fight against file sharing has gone too far. But this trial isn't the reason.

When you try to sue children and dead people, that's when the world knows you've lost your marbles.

The one good thing about these RIAA legal battles is that they give the rest of us free entertainment. The battles the RIAA tries to wage remind me of those "stupid people" stories you hear about... stuff that happens that you can't possibly make up because it seems so bizarre, yet it's completely true.

I wonder how long it will take before the RIAA realizes that no matter how many people they sue, regardless of age or alive/dead status, and regardless of how often they threaten the public, people are going to continue sharing files, including copyrighted music.

Sincere congratulations goes to the RIAA for literally wasting millions of dollars ... and accomplishing nothing. Nice job!

[mathion]

There are Constitutional limits to punishment regardless of what the law says. Assigning this kind of judgment is both cruel and unusual (no one else has even come within 0.01% of that amount in settlements).
I also question the use of a 'jury of one's peers' when it comes to deciding the guilt or innocence of a person charged with a technical crime. Frankly the average person is about as computer literate as my cat - who plays a lot with the mouse, but isn't really understanding anything about what she's doing.
Deciding the guilt or innocence of someone by a person who wasn't bright enough to get out of jury duty is not the best way of rendering a decision in the first place, and the average person is NOT qualified to decide if a technical defense is plausible or not.
I'd also like to know how many songs she actually had sharing. 24 seems like an implausibly low number to be assigning those kinds of numbers as damages.
But the basic argument is the sentence and damages are both cruel and unusual, failing to be valid on constitutional grounds alone. 'Average people' should not be allowed to decide the guilt or innocence of someone accused of a technical crime.

[goomba232]

I don't illegally download music, but I do think the RIAA should burn and die a painful, long death. They are suing people millions of dollars that they don't have. For what? Only downloading 24 songs! That does not equate to $1.92 million dollars in any way possible! The RIAA is just getting ridiculous. There are people doing way worse things than downloading 24 songs, but they do not have to pay $1.92 million dollars for their crimes. The best thing the family can do now is file for bankruptcy, and the RIAA won't see a single penny.

[ScrewTheRIAA]

Music Piracy Is A Good Thing.
It has finally leveled the playing field and put the power of music in the hands of both artists and consumers.
REAL artists don't care, only the greedy execs and publishers are upset because they now realize their jobs are obsolete.
Recordings should only be used as promotional tool.
Artist can still make their money through performances, doing soundtracks, merchandising and endorsements.

Any musician that cries robbery are not real artists.
Piracy is the best form of flattery.

[3djesus]

Here's an idea. just ban her from using a computer or the like for maybe, say 10 years. Any violation results in jail time. easy. Oh and by the way RIAA, my nieces are liable for around $2,000,000,000 with the music they have made available on limewire.
Oh, and one more thing, this isn't about Jammie downloading songs, it's about her uploading them to Kazaa and making them available to others for download.

[northranger]

The RIAA should pay us for the crap that they produce. To think people actually download this junk.

[mammetancalore]

what's the point, she's never gonna pay that amount of money, it's just like this "law" we have in the town I live (italy), they can fine 500 euros to a bum begging for money on the street, instead of helping them...like they're gonna pay!!!

[someguythere]

What a horrible poster child, though.

[jold87]

Laws should endeavor to remain as rational as possible in order to hold the respect and compliance of citizens. The absurdity of this ruling brings the authority of the court system into question. Clearly everyone here is outraged, and I'm left wondering how we can collectively express that this kind of injustice will not be tolerated? ...or will it?

[Pzyk3]

I can never understand why Americans tolerate greedy corporations running their courts, country, and shoving their laws down the throats of American citizens. Hopefully this will change in the future :)

[KillYourself]

I say a boycot of the riaa and any licensed music. Its time to bring the suits down. My take on it is, as long as these idiots keep making music, its going to be pirated... period If they dont adapt a little better than this laughable nonsence they wont be around much longer.

[Lasiaf]

maybe this is scripted just to scare people from pirating

[joeb311]

It's quite obvious the RIAA has forgotten who it is that feeds them. It will be a VERY long time before I buy another CD or pay to download a tune. Burn in hell aholes.

[tomsj]

Boys and girls, may I humbly suggest that we stop buying their fking songs. Listen to the radio, but don't pay a dime for music from these people. Choke them off. If you hate the RIAA as much as I do, don't give the record companies they represent any money. Sometimes you just have to sacrifice short term gratification to make a point. This is one of those times. Just say NO to the RIAA.

[MicTig]

Yes.