RIAA Directed To Pay $68K In Attorneys Fees

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "In Capitol v. Foster, in Oklahoma, the RIAA has been directed to pay the defendant $68,685.23 in attorneys fees. This is the first instance of which I am aware of the RIAA being ordered to pay the defendant attorneys fees. The judge in this case has criticized the RIAA's lawyers' motives as 'questionable,' and their legal theories as 'marginal' (PDF). Although the judge had previously ordered the RIAA to turn over its own attorneys billing records, today's decision (PDF) made no mention of the amount that the RIAA had spent on its own lawyers."

Comments

So

[Dunbal]

Do they have to pay this in cash, or can they give the defendant part of a CD? After all, each song is worth $150,000 or so...

Re:So

[kypper]

Nah, they'd probably just screw the defendant by giving a Britney Spears track.

$68K should be enough for anyone!

[Rix]

I'm really sorry.

Re:$68K should be enough for anyone!

[ozphx]

Please hand in your password and UID to security as you exit the site.

Re:$68K should be enough for anyone!

[Anonymous Coward]

54095
Iwannahavetux'schildren

Re:So is it the RIAA or is it Capitol Records?

[supremebob]

Good point. Maybe kids will be less willing to buy less of those Maroon 5 or Rihanna CD's if they know that the profits were indirectly being used to sue their friends who got caught using Limewire.

Hearing less Maroon 5 or Rihanna would just be a bonus :)

Re:a sad day

[multisync]

i hope all of you fucking theives goto jail. assholes.

Unfortunately, they've only been made to pay the defendant's legal fees so far. Maybe one day the **aa "theives" (sic) will get jail time as well.

Re:Exactly

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey! You were supposed to have handed in your password and UID and left the site. Now come quietly or we will bring out CowboyNeal.... [Sound of screaming and heels being dragged backwards on a concrete floor]

This will just make them stronger...

[Pionus]

$68K, that's chump change to them. I'm sure they waste 100 grand monthly to pay for Madonna's Kabbalah Water. The only positive side to this is that it shows that that there is some good left in our legal system and others will not be scared into not downloading music because the big RIAA will give them a maximum penalty of $250,000 and 5 years in prison. Still they will eventually win the battle, because they have the Benjamin and we don't.

Re:a sad day

[oztiks]

i hope all of you fucking theives goto jail. assholes.

I didn't know Britney came on /.

In Soviet Russia...

[noidentity]

In Soviet Russia, YOU sue the RIAA.. er... in America, YOU the RIAA sues... nevermind.

Re:And the winner in all of this is . . .

[Barny]

Hopefully this will benefit people who could not afford a decent lawyer normally.

Or original cds... aparently :P

$68,000 is nothing

[gelfling]

What's $68,000 to the RIAA? They blow $68,000 on human blood beverages in the conference room, every day. The gold slave collars they give the midgets who wash their balls cost more than that.

Re:Noticed

[rifter]

Yes, I would watch Judge Judy to see that sort of commercial!

It'd be even more awesome to see an RIAA case in Judge Judy's court.

"Let me get this straight. You have no proof the defendant actually violated your copyrights, you don't even own the copyrights, and you want astronomical damages for this? What kind of moron do you think I am?"

Judge Judy does not go for nonsense. Sounds like the judge in TFA is of a similar temperament.

Starting to smell...

[benhocking]

which by the way is starting to smell a bit

Tip: Don't poke holes in the plastic bag. Once they're dead they don't need to breathe.