Sunday, June 21, 2009

US$ 1.92 million for Downloading Music

Music is a work or art based on the Idea, Energy, Time and Money of a person or group of persons who composed therefore entitled to enjoy (financial) benefits that music can bring.

In order to safeguard the rights of people who created the Music, many countries enacted the Copyright Law to protects Music creators from others who want to gain illegal benefits from the Music. However, this thus not guarantee protection.
For example Indonesia has enacted its Copyright Law since 1982, but it is not hard to find music recording copies/download at many shopping places in Jakarta and other cities. Due to which fact, countries like the United States have forced our country to amend the said law three times.

Apparently, illegal downloading of Music also occurred in the United States, one of which is mentioned in Legal Blog Watch about Jammie Thomas-Rasset (32) who was ordered by a Jury in Minnesota to pay compensation of US$ 1.92 Million to the Music industry for illegal Downloading of 24 songs, that is US$ 80,000 per song.
This was the second trial for her, in the first downloading case to go to trial. Two years ago, a jury ordered her to pay $222,000 for downloading those songs US$ $9,250 per song. The judge declared a mistrial and she opted for a second go-around.
Ms Thomas-Rasset and her lawyer were angry about the Court Verdict because they have been confident that any liability finding would be for the Statutory minimum amount of US$ 750 per song.
The Music Industry as Plaintiff has said that it has been prepared to settle the case amicably from the start, and it has nothing further to gain by chasing after money it will never recover.

Considering the above, I hope that the Copyright Law would be enforced accordingly so as to prevent wrong people from taking commercial benefits from Musics.

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