$54,000 (US) is the new acceptable fine for downloading
A U.S. appeals court judge shocked the world by reducing the damages expected of a peer-to-peer song downloader from $1.92 million US dollars to $54,000.
In related news, $54,000 is now considered an acceptable levy of damages for downloading 24 songs.
P2P and online rights groups accepted the verdict. A spokeperson for the Electronic Frontier Foundation told reporters, “Ya know, I could probably download $54,000 worth of songs and break even if I’m ever caught. So, ya know, there’s nothing but upside, right?”
A spokesperson for the Recording Industry Association of America replied in a press release, “$1.92 million was restrained. We feel betrayed by this ruling, and will use every fiber of our being to grab the few people left who care about music by the ankles and shake them until every last penny falls out.”
In a local twist, the last record store in West Dakota will be closing its doors on January 31st. We say good-bye to Randy’s Record Mart, and look forward to whatever brand of wireless phone store will replace in the mall.
