Court won't reduce student's music download fine - Yahoo! News It is illegal to download/upload music but a $675K fine seems excessive. Looks like the Recording Industry Association of America is trying to make a point but may ruin this student's life. Can a fine be discharged though bankruptcy?
But he doesn't owe the government anything. This was a civil case, not a criminal case. According to the decision, he owes $675,000 in damages to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). This issue came up in 2009, when a housewife in Minnesota was assessed $1,920,000 in damages to RIAA for sharing 24 songs online. The best guess seems to be that "clearing the debt in bankruptcy court is possible, but not guaranteed". The case of the Minnesota woman has not yet been resolved: - the $1,920,000 damage award was subsequently reduced to $54,000 - RIAA refused to accept $54,000, so a new trial was held, resulting in an award of $1,500,000 - The damages were reduced to $54,000 again - RIAA has appealed that decision again If you want to see the 24 songs that are causing all the legal hassle, they are listed here.
Sheesh. I get all my songs like this: YouTube Downloader - CNET Download.com Then go here: www.youtube.com Choose the best recording from youtube, download it, convert it, listen to it. Free and easy, but not real fast. Better than getting charged $21K for downloading from Limewire or whatever.