File-Sharing, The Government, And You: A News Roundup
• The RIAA has finally paid $107,834 (plus $117.03 interest) to Tanya Andersen, a former target of a lawsuit by the record-industry consortium who spent two years defending herself in court. Andersen has since countersued the RIAA under conspiracy laws, a suit that she’s hoping to turn into class-action litigation. [BusinessWeek via The Daily Swarm] • A federal court is going to decide whether or not the RIAA’s lawsuit against Jammie Thomas, who was found guilty of “making available” copyrighted material via Kazaa and subsequently ordered to pay the record companies $220,000 for sharing some not-that-great songs. The decision hinges on whether or not “making available” is considered copyright infringement; a District Court decision said that it didn’t. [WSJ] • President Bush has signed a bill that gives universities money as an incentive to fight on-campus piracy. [Variety]
