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The statutory damages for copyright infringement were put into place when peer-to-peer infringement was unimaginable. They were clearly intended to dissuade bu
by URSpider94 17y ago
The statutory damages for copyright infringement were put into place when peer-to-peer infringement was unimaginable. They were clearly intended to dissuade businesses from engaging in wholesale copyright infringement for profit, say by selling pirated movies.
Nonetheless, the law is the law, and I can't foresee even a committed grass-roots effort convincing lawmakers to reduce the statutory damages for willful infringement. The best bet would be to get a high court to determine that willful infringement doesn't apply when there is no profit motive for the infringer.
- vaksel 17y agoNapster's fines amounted to a grand total of little more than 1000 songs shared based on this compensation.
- jacquesm 17y agoExactly. This is way out of proportion. Professional pirates that operate a for-profit business were the reason these amounts were set, and their height is reflected by the potential profits of those pirates. To use those same penalties against ordinary citizens acting without a profit motive is madness.