Penalty Cut in Song-Sharing Case
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- ghandolf
A Boston federal judge drastically cuts $675K penalty against grad student in song-sharing case
The Associated Press
By RODRIQUE NGOWI Associated Press Writer
BOSTON July 9, 2010 (AP)A federal judge has drastically trimmed a $675,000 verdict against a Boston University graduate student who was found guilty of illegally downloading and sharing songs online.
Judge Nancy Gertner on Friday cut a jury's damage award against Joel Tenenbaum of Providence, R.I., to $67,500, saying it was unconstitutional and "wholly out-of-proportion."
Tenenbaum was sued by music companies who said he violated copyright rules. He admitted downloading songs between 1999 and 2007. The jury found him guilty and assessed the damage award last July.
His lawyers appealed, calling the award "severe" and "oppressive."
Gertner said the reduced penalty is still severe enough to deter illegal file-sharing and adequately compensate the companies.
A spokeswoman for the plaintiffs did not immediately return calls for comment.
- drgz0
Nuke America, wipe off this country from the face of the earth
- drgz0
Galambosianism -- american ideals in its purest form
"Around this time I met the Galambosian.
"I am a Galambosian," he said. [...]
"What the hell is a Galambosian?"
There was this individual, it seems, named Joseph Andrew Galambos who evolved a theory of "primary property rights". Apparently, as soon as someone came up with a new idea - whether an invention or an original philosophical concept - the prototype belonged irrevocably to him and was to be regarded forevermore as his primary property. Somewhere along the line Galambos picked up the notion that Thomas Paine had invented
the word "liberty," whereupon he established the Thomas Paine Royalty Fund, and every time he gave a lecture and used the word "liberty" he dropped a nickel into his fund box as a royalty payment to Tom. How he determined that a nickel was the proper measure of homage to Mr. Paine, I have no idea. Legend even had it that Galambos was still diligently searching for Thomas Paine's descendants so he could turn over moneys due their famous ancestor.
Sometime in the early or middle 1960's, Galambos decided that his name, Joseph Andrew, was actually the primary property of his father. In order to avoid giving his father a royalty payment every time he spoke the name, Galambos reversed the order and sent out notices to all his friends that henceforth his name was Andrew Joseph, and that he was to be addressed as Andy, instead of Joe.
"There are five legitimate functions of government," said the
Galambosian.
"No kidding. What are they?"
"I am not at liberty to say. The theory was originated by Andy Galambos and it is his primary property."
The Galambosian also informed me that Andy had been introduced to Ayn Rand several years before, and that after five minutes of conversation they had pronounced each other insane.
"Of course, it is Miss Rand who is really insane," said the
Galambosian.
"Why is that?"
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you. The reasoning behind that theory
belongs to Andy."
The most peculiar thing about the whole Galambosian concept was the impossibility of finding out anything about it. Galambos' disciples were not at liberty to disseminate his philosophy without paying a royalty to their leader - who could not even _waive_ payment, since primary property was an absolute good and could not be given away.
You were stuck with it whether you wanted it or not, throughout
eternity. Consequently, all the converts were those proselytized by
Galambos himself - a time-consuming and self-restricting process, it being physically impossible to convert more than a handful of people at a time.
"If the rest of us were free to discuss his ideas," said the Galambosian, "there is no question in my mind that Galambosianism would spread throughout the world like wildfire."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And…
http://dev.null.org/psychocerami…
- vaxorcist0
what was the actual final fine?!?
- FredMcWoozy0
This shows you who really runs the court system. The corporations.
If DRGZ was a little more educated he could clearly said that instead instead of his Nazi Propaganda.