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RIAA "The Rhythm is Gonna Get You"


Welcome to the jungle Ms. Jammie Thomas, single mother of two. November rain came a month early when just last Thursday a Minnesota jury found the Native American liable for illegal file sharing. I save the best for last. The verdict was for $222,000, which likely left Ms. Thomas cryin’. For the RIAA, the verdict was nothing but hella good, leaving the RIAA now and forever a very valuable precedent in its possession.

After being contacted by the RIAA for illegal file sharing, Ms. Thomas’ indignation was coming out of the heart. She felt the RIAA was building a mystery based upon what she felt must have been somebody hacking or spoofing her account to make it look she was the one committing the copyright infringement. Her don’t stop believing attitude continued to take her one step closer to the verdict she faithfully felt in her one honest heart the jury had to hand down.

Deciding let’s wait awhile, Ms. Sullivan and her attorney refused to settle with the RIAA, opting instead for the here we are, come and get us approach. Unfortunately, the iris popping verdict leaves nothing but bills, bills, bills in her future.

While Ms. Sullivan is indeed mulling over an appeal, she does not want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. To appeal she still has to come up with the money in the interim. If she wants to continue the fight, she will likely have to come up with even more cash, possibly asking friends, family, altruistic lawyers and different people to “pour some sugar on me” in the form of donations.

In an effort to prevent this precedent from increasing the weight of the RIAA’a already heavy hand, I say file the appeal and run baby run. But then again, I am not the one at risk of turning into a basket case tousling with the RIAA for the next year or more. (I’m actually surprisingly bold from the sidelines).

Oh yeah, the 24 tracks Ms. Sullivan was accused of making available online? Read the above post a little more closely to find them all. Cheaters can check out the more mundane list here.

Brett Trout

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