June 19, 2009 9:51
Woman fined millions for music file-sharing in US
Mother of four handed $1.9 million (£1.2 million) fine
A US woman has been fined $1.9 million (£1.2 million) for music copyright violations in the USA after illegally sharing 24 files online.
Jammie Thomas-Rasset, a 32 year-old mother of four from Minnesota, has to pay the money to various record labels after she shared music by acts including Green Day and Sheryl Crow, reports BBC Newsbeat.
The case is the first time a file-sharing case has gone to court in the USA. Jammie Thomas-Rasset had previously been to court for copyright offences, but her trial ended without a verdict.
A spokesperson for the Recording Industry Association of America said that the companies due the payment were willing to settle out of court for an amount much lower than the $1.9 million total.
Thomas-Rasset called the verdict, handed to her by a Minnesota jury, "kind of ridiculous".
On Tuesday (June 16) the UK Government published a report, 'Digital Britain', outlining measures of tackling illegal file-sharing in Britain.
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