RIAA Scared of Court Case Webcast
January 17, 2009
" With the defense in the Tenenbaum case getting their request to
broadcast the trial online, it seemed that some light of exposure was
to be brought to the RIAA’s method of litigation. Yet the RIAA doesn’t
want their court practices exposed for all to see, and have now
appealed the judges decision.
RIAA court cases are few and far between. The cost of attorneys
usually makes hiring one a costly alternative in comparison to the
settlement money that they ask from alleged infringers. Thus far, only
one case has actually gone to trial, resulting in a heavy judgment
against the defendant, Jammie Thomas. While that case has been declared
a mistrial, it has not stopped other cases from going ahead.
One of the cases vying to be the first to go all the way for a
standing decision, is the case involving Boston University student Joel
Tenenbaum. After initially offering to settle for $500, and having it
rejected back in 2003, he decided to fight. His case has proved quite a
headache for the RIAA by all accounts. Starting with a counterclaim
asserting abuse of federal power, and that the damages demanded were
unconstitutional, it has eventually gone to court after several
settlement attempts. In court Joel is assisted by Professor Charles
Nesson, and his law students.
In the Thomas case, the lawyer involved wasn’t particularly
enthusiastic nor experienced in this area, and it showed. The same
can’t be said of Prof. Nesson, who is a Harvard law professor as well
as Founder and Co-Director of the Berkman Center for Internet and
Society. In what might be considered a coup, he convinced the judge to
allow the trial to be webcast on the Internet. This will allow others
to see just how the lawyers act in a case. Yet, in the last few hours,
it has been revealed that the RIAA has appealed the motion, clearly
upset that it might harm their public image further. "
Source: Slyck | TorrentFreak
Original Article: In Internet First, RIAA File Sharing Hearing to Be Webcast
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