http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/04/national/main3330186.shtml

Works out to a little less than 10,000 per song.

That's a lot of money.

Too much money. So they won one key case. They've had their asses kicked for using shoddy experts, violating the legal process and other things.

So, they've got some deterrent factor going now. Good for them.

Personally, I think this is a great reason to support artists not willing to continue to work through these guys. They are not adding a lot of value these days.

Here's the good "sharing" scheme. Perfectly legal, though probably not all that moral.

Buy your media, used if possible, but just buy it. Back it up, then sell it to somebody else.

Right of first sale says you get to sell it period. There is no legal requirement to get rid of your archives. The same allowance that provides for you to use the backup, "in case of loss" permits it to exist after the sale.

That could be fixed, but currently isn't. It's highly likely the burden of proof is pretty stiff.

There you go.

Better, support artists, like Radiohead, working to engage the new rules and learn how to make their money without having to deal with all the draconian legal issues necessary to prop up old business models.

A person can get a small (by comparison) fine for rape, and get out of jail in as little as two years.

250K for filesharing?

(note also the fine was for distribution, not downloading --that's another legal quagmire they are not willing to discuss right now.)