Does the Minnesota case has affect on future lawsuits?

View this article at: http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9041078

This article was found from an online news source called Computerworld. It was published on October 5, 2007 by Jaikumar Vijayan, and discusses the Jammie Thomas case with illegal file sharing and piracy and also what others should expect verdicts in the future to be like.

Charles Mudd Jr., a lawyer who has worked on dozens of cases involving the music industry, is quoted in the article stating that this Minnesota case will act “as a banner by the RIAA.” The verdict of this case was not only to punish Thomas for her illegal actions but also to forewarn other illegal downloaders that their actions are completely against the law and there are severe consequences for illegal down loading and piracy. Charles Mudd also argues that the fine Jammie Thomas received was unreasonable; stating that the actual damages done by the accused is generally multiplied about ten times, and that is what the illegal file sharer is forced to pay. Alongside this, Mudd also says, “I don't agree with the RIAA's tactics and I don't agree with their settlement amounts, but paying $4,000 to settle is certainly much better than what happened in Minnesota.”

Another man that had say in the article claims that the verdict in Minnesota should and most likely will deter future illegal file sharers to rethink their actions before pursuing their downloads. He says that the damages should be paid for and that the RIAA has right to prosecute those who are downloading illegally, however the recording industries should also look for answers as to why downloaders are doing so illegally. He claims that paying for an entire album is not what people want to do, rather they want to obtain one or two tracks from the artists’ album, and recording companies should look into alternatives for this as well.

Roy Beckerman is another lawyer who represents those who are being prosecuted for illegal file sharing. He states in the article that people will now be afraid to engage in this type of illegal activity. He also claims that a few years ago a woman was charged with illegal downloading and was forced to pay $22,000 and that was a big deal, but now that the Jammie Thomas case has arrived, people will be even more affected by this verdict.