CCIA Hopes Ridiculous Thomas-Rasset Copyright Fine Brings US ‘One Step Closer’ To Legal Reforms
6/19/2009
Washington -- A picture may be worth a thousand words. But if those words
are a song put on a file-sharing network on the Internet, it’s worth
$80,000. That’s what a Minnesota jury found yesterday in a retrial of
Jammie Thomas-Rasset. She is to pay a fine of $80,000 for each song she
uploaded, including Linkin Park’s ‘One Step Closer’ and Aerosmith’s
‘Cryin.’ Altogether, the jury fined the mother of four children nearly $2
million for uploading 24 songs on the Internet. The following statement can
be attributed to Computer & Communications Industry Association President &
CEO Ed Black in response to the damages award in the Recording Industry
Association of America’s copyright violation case:
“Our copyright laws are overbroad, being misused and enforced with a zeal
out of proportion to common sense.”
“When Sony BMG massively and illegally distributed music CDs containing
spyware that compromised individual users' computer security and infected
government and military networks worldwide, the FTC only ordered them in
2007 to reimburse end-users up to $150 for computer damages. Yet when Ms.
Thomas shared 24 songs belonging to Sony BMG and other labels on the
Internet, she was penalized $80,000 for each single track.
“This isn’t a question about whether file-sharing is wrong -- the question
is what does this say about our priorities? We’re living in a time when
executives can dismantle companies that have become American icons and
instead of fines, receive bonuses.
“The application of existing law in this case may have been technically
correct, but used to protect the recording industry from losses that could
have cost them pennies, with a $1.9 million fine against a music fan.
“Thomas-Rasset could have been anyone. That was the reasoning of the
recording companies when they chose to make an example of her four years
ago. And it could be any of our children tomorrow. Despite finally
diversifying their business models to profit more in other ways, record
companies still have the same old tune stuck in their heads when it comes
to music sales. Copyright law was created in a different era for different
business models. It needs to be reformed.”
Contact:
Heather Greenfield
202-783-0070 ext 113
Ed Black
202-783-0070 ext 110
