So, about that piracy... AKA Woman forced to pay $1.5 million for pirating music

[tzimize]

Again, the legal system tells us, stop pirating and start shoplifting.
Worst case, you get caught and get a warning and a small fine.
Best case, you get free music and movies!

If however you don't steal the cds and dvds, but just go online and take a copy of the data, then you're looking at a potentially life destroying fine, that most people could never hope to pay.

LEGAL NOTE: Not actually condoning theft IRL, but damn, it's a lot less serious in terms of the penalties it seems. I'm sure people have permanently crippled other people for life and ended up paying less than $1.5 million in damages.

But then, as ever, what's human life when it comes up against the mighty dollar?

Well said. The absurdity of this verdict can only lead to ONE thing. A whole lot less respect for the law, and record companies in general. In which case, everybody lose. It boggles the mind that a judge or jury can actually find such a mountain of cash a fair fine.

Edit: I just thought of something. This actually solves the piracy problem. I mean...if record companies can get 1.5$ for a few songs...why the hell bother trying to sell CDs the regular way? Piracy is MUCH more lucrative! They should just spread their music on the internet and sue everyone with an internet connection......They should push for more surveilance (oh wait...) and make our society 1982-like and they will be set for life.

 

[EeveeElectro]

It's good to see they're cracking down on hardcore criminals and not wasting their time on those silly murderers and rapists.
She's a single mum of four, how can she afford it?

 

[b3nn3tt]

While I hugely disagree with a fine that ridiculously high, I severely doubt that she's going to pirate aything again. In which case record companies will see this as a victory, and a warning to all other pirates

 

[V8 Ninja]

According to the article, she had a choice to pay much, much less (about $5,000), and she refused. I can understand why the price was upped, but $1.5 Million just seems like a sick & twisted joke...

 

[Fuselage]

Well the RIAA need money to fund their secret volcano base called "Mount Killjoy"

 

[BonsaiK]

A woman has been ordered to pay $1.5 million US to recording companies for pirating 24 songs on 'KaZaA', a peer-to-peer file sharing network that, I'd assume, is not unlike the late Limewire. The full article is here, so I won't bother going into the details: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/8119083/woman-to-pay-us1-5m-for-online-piracy

Personally I think that's goddamn absurd. Apparently this comes after a few similar offenses from the same woman, but $1.5 million?? Is piracy a crime? Yes. Have they gone too far? In my opinion: Yes. What do you think?

She didn't want to play ball and settle out of court, so they're showing her who's boss, because why the hell not. Who is she to get arrogant and on her high horse when she's a thief? Steal a $50 handbag from a store and get caught, is your fine $50? Hell no, it's a fucking lot more isn't it, and the reason why is to teach you a lesson that stealing is something that you should not do.

 

[Yossarian1507]

You know... I heard about a Polish student who turned out to have pirated songs, games, movies, programs etc. worth about 4.000.000 dollars. Don't ask me how big his hard drive was, I don't know. What I know, is that THIS is the kind of situation, when pirate should pay 1,5 million $ as a punishment. Not for a puny 24 songs.

 

[neurohazzard]

However you may feel about piracy, we stopped cutting off peoples hands for stealing loaves of bread for a damn reason, so why did it suddenly become okay to do the financial equivalent?

 

[Dastardly]

She CHOSE this punishment. Read, people, read.

 

[Keepitclean]

She will wont ever be able to pay that...
I know pirating is wrong and can be considered immoral, but so is abusing law like that...
Both are evil in this instance, but 1,5million? That f'king absurd!!!

What these record companies are doing is more immoral than the piracy itself. Fucking ridiculous. Being a single mother of four I wouldn't be surprised if she pirated the music because she couldn't afford to buy it.

 

[Snor]

waaaait..... this makes robbing a store to steal the cd's with the songs on them actually more attractive

those music industry guys completely destroyed a life of someone as she will be stuck with paying for this a good part of her life.

A woman has been ordered to pay $1.5 million US to recording companies for pirating 24 songs on 'KaZaA', a peer-to-peer file sharing network that, I'd assume, is not unlike the late Limewire. The full article is here, so I won't bother going into the details: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/8119083/woman-to-pay-us1-5m-for-online-piracy

Personally I think that's goddamn absurd. Apparently this comes after a few similar offenses from the same woman, but $1.5 million?? Is piracy a crime? Yes. Have they gone too far? In my opinion: Yes. What do you think?

She didn't want to play ball and settle out of court, so they're showing her who's boss, because why the hell not. Who is she to get arrogant and on her high horse when she's a thief? Steal a $50 handbag from a store and get caught, is your fine $50? Hell no, it's a fucking lot more isn't it, and the reason why is to teach you a lesson that stealing is something that you should not do.

no because obviously they fine you 5 million dollars and cut of your hand for that! jesus where do you live

 

[Crazy_Dude]

This shouldnt be happening 1.5 million for 24 songs? I heard you could get fined in some countries if you downloaded over 1000 songs for like 1000-2000 dollars/euros.

1.5 million for 24 songs is just absurd.

 

[Cxizent]

Punished, we were! Disproportionate to our crimes!

 

[The Lunatic]

Law suits are expensive. If they charged a reasonable amount, they'd make a loss from every court case. Which would mean there'd be no point doing them.

 

[TheTejs]

what the hell are these "damages" people are saying she should pay for
WHAT DID SHE DAMAGE!?

 

[oooooooooooooooooooooooooo]

This is so ridiculously stupid. I'm fully against piracy, but the record companies are only digging themselves into a deeper hole here. They're never going to beat piracy by victimising individuals and using them as examples to scare off other pirates, all this is going to cause is a big backlash.

Seriously, the sooner the big record labels die, the better, because they are proving time and again they have absolutely no clue of how to function in the modern day.

 

[barash]

As usual, the US courts are not over-the-top at all.

 

[Altar]

So... she's been fined about $62500 per song?! That's... that's just crazy. I mean I'm all for punishing pirates... well certain kinds of pirates at least... but damn that's what?! Around if not more then what the average person earns in their lifetime. Seriously how did this even get through? I thought something like this would be laughed out of court... ah talk about some bull of a punishment...