Student fined $675,000 for sharing 30 songs

I heard he was doing a lot of file sharing and the university warned him several times and he didn't pay any attention. I bet he'll get the fine reduced somewhat on appeal but its over for him. I don't think he is guilty of any crime personally unless he was the one also doing the ripping of tracks from a CD, or was breaking the DRM security on each track. Like if a plane carrying money explodes over your house and you put out a net and grab some of the cash does that make you a thief?

This is ridiculous. Ruining this kids life serves no purpose except act as a warning to everyone else to either stop or cover your tracks. Makes you want to learn how to protect your PC from the RIAA and use a proxy service. Thats whats going to happen. Its all going to go underground and the music industry losses will probably double!

"Guns don't kill, people kill"! Simply because something exists doesn't necessarily mean that it will be used to nefarious intent. Divx is becoming popular as a download format for legal downloads as well. This because downloading in DVD-Video format is at best, "inconvenient". Even with fast broadband, files that may be as much 8.5GB in size eat intio bandwidth, are time consuming, and last but not least, the ISPs are using such large file transfers as an excuse to either cap bandwidth, or charge extra for it. Now, let's talk about trying to download Blu-Ray files.

It took the longest time and a contentious legal struggle to allow VCRs to exist. And that argument revolved around "fair use". Especially with respect to broad cast TV, advertisers cryed "foul", since it was assumed the evil doers taping programs would FF through the commercials. The "fair use" doctrine prevailed that time, but it was still illegal to copy tape and distribute copies, piracy then, and piracy now. A copy of a prerecorded VCR tape of of low, almost unwatchable quality, but with modern digital means, copies can be made that for all intents and purposes, cannot be distinguished from the source.

Sony BMG is by far one of the most aggressive and proprietary with respect to attaching DRM and pursuing legal action against pirates. So, they. still make recordable drives because they can make money selling them. Are they hypocrites? Yes! Does that work to your advantage? Yes! Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!

Since I'm tired of typing, in a word, "yes"!

But I would add, that of course you don't think it's a crime. You think it's a crime that people have the nerve to charge you for music. You're entitled to it, aren't you now!

I see divx files are smaller , but like the trouble with video recorders , I'd say there was huge dispute ,
ps . try typing with a joypad in cell phone layout !

Thats just.. wow.

I can understand charging them a bit of money, but that much!? Thats way over the line. I think the appeal will turn things around and likely get him out of deep sh**.