Jammie Thomas, a Minnesota woman has been found guilty of illegally download music and ordered to pay $220,000 in fines between six record companies a few days ago. Now she plans to fight the RIAA with her attorney announcing that it would appeal the decision. Of around 26,000 lawsuits the RIAA issued, around half of those hit have settled, but this is the first case that has gone to trial, but also turned out in favour of the recording industry.
At present, the music industry relies on a licensed agent to find out how is illegally sharing music online. According to her attorney, someone else could have downloaded these songs in person or remotely. So he plans on appealing the RIAA's theory of making files available, in which if he manages to win the appeal, it would mean that the RIAA would have to prove that a file is being shared and be confirmed by someone else other than the agent they currently use.
Jammie mentions she earns $36,000 a year and has currently raised about $1,000 over the weekend from donations to help fight back. Going by what she wrote on a website to help draw support, she will make this the worst thing the record companies could have ever done to anyone, that she will do anything to help out others with this same situation and that she will not be bullied.
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