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Constitutionality of RIAA Damages Challenged
NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "In SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum, the defendant has filed a motion for new trial, attacking, among other things, the constitutionality of the jury's $675,000 award as being violative of due process. In his 32-page brief (PDF), Tenenbaum argues that the award exceeded constitutional due process standards, both under the Court's 1919 decision in St. Louis Railway v. Williams, as well as under its more recent authorities State Farm v. Campbell and BMW v. Gore. Defendant also argues that the Court's application of fair use doctrine was incorrect, that statutory damages should not be imposed against music consumers, and that the Court erred in a key evidentiary ruling."
Except that punitive damages is one of the select few things you cannot get rid of in bankruptcy. that means that unless this person is well above the median income they will never pay this off in their lifetime and no matter how good a job they get they will be living in poverty for the rest of their life.
Careful, NYCL.
"Indie" is what "alternative" was in the '90's. Both originally meant homegrown music from independent "mom and pop" record labels until the major labels realize how "cool" it is to be different, then they hijack those phrases and apply them to their mass-produced crap.
I guess the only honest way to say it is "Music of non-RIAA/ASCAP artists".