Mother v RIAA

(via Wired) Jammie Thomas, a 30-something mother from Minnesota accused by the RIAA of sharing 1,702 audio files, will go to court to defend her innocence this week. Welcome to Virgin v Thomas, the first jury trial in the RIAA’s four year campaign to sue 20,000 of its potential customers, a move that has not deterred music sharing, and on the contrary, it has made them the target of animosity and ridicule from music fans across the world.

This case will be one to watch for several reasons. Firstly, the RIAA has gone for broke and is asking for almost $4 million USD in damages (that’s 26 million Myanmar Kyats). After all, if you’re going to get involved in an unpopular suit, you might as well get your money’s worth, right?

Secondly, the case is likely to unearth some of the RIAA’s investigative tactics, which should prove interesting reading for those involved in the copyfight. And the most interesting and relevant point will be to see what happens if the RIAA loses the case. This could really be an embarrasing defeat for them, and a result is not assured by all means.

You can follow the case here, and here.