By Tonyt Smith for The
Register
This article has been reproduced from The Register, with
permission.
The Court told Cecilia Gonzalez, 29, she must pay the $22,500
damages won by the music industry at an earlier District Court
hearing.
At her appeal, Gonzalez' lawyers argued that her activities were
permitted by copyright law. However, the court rejected such claims
on the grounds that she had kept the downloaded copies of songs she
did not intend to buy.
"A copy downloaded, played and retained on one's hard drive for
future use is a direct substitute for a purchased copy," the judges
said. Gonzalez' argument is "no more relevant than a thief's
contention that he shoplifted only 30 compact discs, planning to
listen to them at home and pay later".
Gonzalez was one of thousands of computer users sued by the
Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA). She rejected a $3,500
settlement proposal, and was taken to court. There, the judge ruled
she should pay $750 each for 30 songs she allegedly distributed
over the Internet – a total of $22,500.
© The Register
2005
