Slashdot Mirror
Copyright Scholar Challenges RIAA/DOJ Position
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "Leading copyright law scholar Prof. Pamela Samuelson, of the University of California law school, and research fellow Tara Wheatland, have published a 'working paper' which directly refutes the position taken by the US Department of Justice in RIAA cases on the constitutionality of the RIAA's statutory damages theories. The Department of Justice had argued in its briefs that the Court should follow a 1919 United States Supreme Court case which upheld the constitutionality of a statutory damages award that was 116 times the actual damages sustained, under a statute which gave consumers a right of action against railway companies. The Free Software Foundation filed an amicus curiae brief supporting the view that the more modern, State Farm/Gore test applied by the United States Supreme Court to punitive damages awards is applicable. The new paper is consistent with the FSF brief and contradicts the DOJ briefs, arguing that the Gore test should be applied. A full copy of the paper is available for viewing online (PDF)."
these people are relentless and have enough of an agenda + litigation budget to try circuit-hopping until they get favorable rulings
You don't know them like I do. There is no way they will let this issue get fully litigated. Whenever they run up against a lawyer like me they will fold up their tent before letting this issue get decided. When they lose on this issue, the game is over for them. Without their ridiculous, draconian statutory damages threat, they are finished.
They might go to the mat in the Tenenbaum case, only because they look upon Prof. Nesson's unconventional legal arguments as easy prey. But I think they would be making a mistake in going to the mat even there, because Judge Gertner is not going to let Prof. Nesson control the legal parameters. She will determine them.
Most likely you will never see these issues fully litigated in the RIAA v. end user cases at all.
Ray Beckerman +5 Insightful