RIAA

NBC Universal Among Authors of Verizon Copyright Letters

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 16, 2009 - 12:05pm.

San Francisco - NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) is among the studios on whose behalf Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is sending its ISP subscribers notices that they are suspected of violating copyrights on filesharing networks, CNET News.com reported, citing multiple unnamed sources. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was reported last week to have engaged Verizon to deliver copyright letters on its behalf; an undisclosed number of other studios and copyright owners have made similar requests.

Verizon to Begin Forwarding RIAA "Copyright Notices"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 13, 2009 - 9:17am.

San Francisco - Mobile operator Verizon Wireless will this week begin sending "copyright notices" on behalf of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), to subscribers suspected of illegally downloading songs, CNET News.com reported, citing sources with knowledge of the agreement. The letter reportedly urges the recipient to delete the content they distribute, but does not include threats of potential service interruptions as a penalty.

RIAA Seeks Injunction Against Convicted File-Swapper

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 4, 2009 - 7:46am.

Boston - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is seeking an injunction against Joel Tenenbaum, who was recently convicted of copyright infringement on a file-sharing network and ordered to pay $675,000 in damages, that would prohibit him from committing further infringements, Ars Technica reports. They argue that Tenenbaum continued to use file-sharing networks even after being sued in federal court, and continues to promote copyright infringement because The Pirate Bay recently featured a 30-song sampler called "DJ Joel: The $675,000 Mixtape." The RIAA is similarly seeking an injunction against convicted file-swapper Jammie Thomas-Rasset, who was ordered to pay $1.92 million in damages.

Convicted File-Swapper Asks Judge to Reduce $1.92M Penalty

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 1, 2009 - 8:00am.

Duluth, Minn. - Convicted file-swapper Jammie Thomas-Rasset has argued in a court filing that the $1.92 million in damages she was ordered to pay the record industry for sharing 24 songs violates her right to due process, and is seeking to have the penalty reduced. Her attorneys argue that the damages are arbitrary and unconstitutional, given that a jury first ordered her to pay $10,000 per song -- in a decision that was tossed out -- before a second jury said she should pay $80,000 per song.

Court: Yahoo's Launchcast Not an 'Interactive' Music Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 21, 2009 - 10:54am.

New York - A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling that said Yahoo's (NASD: YHOO) Launchcast is not an "interactive" digital music service, and as such should not be required to pay record labels additional fees to play their songs online, Reuters reported. Yahoo will still pay SoundExchange licensing fees for songs played on its Web radio service, but will not have to negotiate fees with individual labels.

Obama Justice Dept. Defends $1.92M File-Swapping Damages

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 17, 2009 - 3:00pm.

Washington - The U.S. Department of Justice has defended the constitutionality of an award of $1.92 million in damages for copyright infringement on a file-sharing network, which a jury ordered Kazaa user Jammie Thomas-Rasset to pay the major record labels.

Harvard Law's Charles Nesson to Appeal File-Sharing Damages

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 11, 2009 - 12:32pm.

Boston - The New York Times and Ars Technica both published interviews on Tuesday with Charles Nesson, the Harvard Law professor who failed to get admitted file-swapper Joel Tenenbaum off the hook from copyright infringement charges brought by the major record labels. A federal judge declared Tenenbaum guilty, after which a jury ordered him to pay the labels $675,000 in damages. Nesson told The Times he is "counting on winning on appeal," will ask for a reduced penalty at an upcoming hearing, and still plans on pursuing a class action suit against the labels over their litigation campaign against file-swappers.

Senate Judiciary Holds Hearing on Performance Rights Act

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 6, 2009 - 8:52am.

Washington - The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony from artists, record labels and broadcasters earlier this week on whether terrestrial radio stations should have to royalties to performers on records, instead of just songwriters. Artists including Sheila E, Sheryl Crow, Herbie Hancock and will.i.am, along with record labels represented by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), argued in favor of additional royalty payments to performers, while radio broadcasters like Clear Channel argued they would cause financial hardship.

Jury Orders File-Swapper to Pay Record Labels $675,000

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 3, 2009 - 7:34am.

Boston - A federal jury has ordered convicted file-swapper Joel Tenenbaum to pay the major record labels $675,000 in damages, after he admitted in court to having shared 30 of their copyrighted songs on file-sharing networks. Tenenbaum, who could have faced damages as high as $4.5 million under the law, will instead pay $22,500 per song shared -- a sum he said will lead him to file for bankruptcy if it stands.

Judge Finds File-Swapper Guilty; Jury to Determine Damages

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 31, 2009 - 4:54am.

Boston - After the defendant admitted his guilt in open court on Thursday, a federal judge has ruled that Boston grad student Joel Tenenbaum committed copyright infringement on a file-sharing network, leaving the jury to decide whether his infringement was "willful," and determine the amount of monetary damages he will pay the recording industry. Should the jury find that Tenenbaum willfully infringed Sony Music's copyrights on 30 songs, he could be liable for up to $4.5 million in damages.

Accused File-Swapper Tenenbaum Admits Guilt at Trial

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 30, 2009 - 11:51am.

Boston - Accused file-swapper Joel Tenebaum admitted in court on Thursday that he did in fact offer songs for upload via his Kazaa file-sharing network account, according to published reports. It seems likely now that Tenenbaum's defense in the copyright infringement case brought by the recording industry will hinge on the damages he will have to pay. Tenenbaum's attorney, Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson, has argued that the $150,000-per-song maximum damage award under the law is unconstitutionally high, and does not reflect actual damages suffered by the labels.

Trial of Accused File-Swapper Underway in Boston

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 29, 2009 - 11:59am.

Boston - Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson argued in court on Tuesday that grad student Joel Tenenbaum was among "millions" of Americans who downloaded songs for free on file-sharing networks, during Tenebaum's trial on charges of copyright infringement brought by major record label Sony Music, Ars Technica reported. The record industry produced witnesses, including Tenenbaum's own father, who recounted Joel showing him how Kazaa worked, or denied having used Kazaa on Joel's computer. Tenenbaum himself was expected to take the stand on Wednesday.

Judge Rejects 'Fair Use' Defense in Tenenbaum File-Sharing Case

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 27, 2009 - 9:43am.

Boston - U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner has rejected an accused file-swappers motion to argue 'fair use' of the copyrighted songs he allegedly shared on a peer-to-peer network, according to the Recording Industry vs. The People blog.

Judge to Allow MediaSentry Evidence in File-Sharing Trial

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 22, 2009 - 11:57am.

Boston - A federal judge has denied accused file-swapper Joel Tenenbaum's motion to suppress evidence from MediaSentry, the firm hired by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to monitor file-sharing and help identify suspected copyright infringers, according to the Recording Industry vs. The People blog. The judge rejected claims from Tenenbaum's attorney, Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson, that MediaSentry was not registered as a private investigator in Massachusetts, and that it violated federal wiretapping laws -- citing a number of previous file-sharing cases where similar claims were rejected.

Guns N' Roses Uploader Gets Probation; Will Star in PSAs

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 15, 2009 - 8:04am.

Los Angeles - Blogger Kevin Cogill, who was convicted of misdemeanor copyright infringement after admitting to posting tracks from the then-unreleased Guns N' Roses album "Chinese Democracy" online, has been sentenced to two months of home confinement and a year of probation, the Associated Press reported. Prosecutors had initially sought a six-month prison term and a fine of $371,000; the maximum sentence for the crime is a year in prison.

RIAA Asks Judge to Sanction Harvard P2P Lawyer

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 7, 2009 - 8:53am.

Boston - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has asked a federal court judge to sanction the attorney representing a defendant accused of illegal file-sharing, over his posting "unauthorized and illegal" recordings of pretrial court proceedings, Wired.com reported.

Jammie Thomas Challenges $1.92M File-Sharing Penalty

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 7, 2009 - 8:36am.

Duluth, Minn. - Jammie Thomas-Rasset, the Minnesota woman found guilty by a jury of copyright infringement on a file-sharing network and ordered to pay the record labels $1.92 million in damages, has filed motions to have the damage award dismissed or reduced, or alternately be granted a new trial, Ars Technica reported.

RIAA Wins Copyright Judgment Against Usenet.com

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 1, 2009 - 6:00am.

Los Angeles - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced on Wednesday that a federal court has ruled in its favor in a copyright infringement lawsuit it filed against Usenet.com. According to CNET's coverage, U.S. District Judge Harold Baer of the Southern District of New York found Usenet.com -- which offers access to the twenty-year-old Usenet network -- guilty of direct, contributory and vicarious copyright infringement.

Report: Jammie Thomas-Rasset Rejects RIAA Settlement Offer

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 30, 2009 - 6:10am.

Los Angeles - Jammie Thomas-Rasset, the woman recently found guilty of copyright infringement on a file-sharing network and ordered to pay $1.9 million in damages, has rejected a settlement offer from the record labels, CNET News.com reported.

RIAA P2P Case Tally in Court Brief Differs With Estimates

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 29, 2009 - 10:49am.

Boston - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said in court documents filed this month that it had settled with 4,000 of the 18,000 people it contacted about their alleged infringements on file-sharing networks, although other estimates peg the total number of proceedings at nearly double that figure, Digital Music News reported.

NBC Universal Among Authors of Verizon Copyright Letters

Verizon to Begin Forwarding RIAA "Copyright Notices"

RIAA Seeks Injunction Against Convicted File-Swapper

Convicted File-Swapper Asks Judge to Reduce $1.92M Penalty

Court: Yahoo's Launchcast Not an 'Interactive' Music Service

Obama Justice Dept. Defends $1.92M File-Swapping Damages

Harvard Law's Charles Nesson to Appeal File-Sharing Damages

Senate Judiciary Holds Hearing on Performance Rights Act

Jury Orders File-Swapper to Pay Record Labels $675,000

Judge Finds File-Swapper Guilty; Jury to Determine Damages

Accused File-Swapper Tenenbaum Admits Guilt at Trial

Trial of Accused File-Swapper Underway in Boston

Judge Rejects 'Fair Use' Defense in Tenenbaum File-Sharing Case

Judge to Allow MediaSentry Evidence in File-Sharing Trial

Guns N' Roses Uploader Gets Probation; Will Star in PSAs

RIAA Asks Judge to Sanction Harvard P2P Lawyer

Jammie Thomas Challenges $1.92M File-Sharing Penalty

RIAA Wins Copyright Judgment Against Usenet.com

Report: Jammie Thomas-Rasset Rejects RIAA Settlement Offer

RIAA P2P Case Tally in Court Brief Differs With Estimates

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