The court confirmed $22,500 per song and left 28-year old Boston university student Joel Tenenbaum with a $675,000 verdict for a total of 30 songs. You may remember the name, as Tenenbaum heard the same verdict about two years ago; however, he was able to reduce the amount to just $67,500 last year, as a judge described the prior verdict as “unconstitutionally excessive.”

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed an appeal and was successful, as the Court of Appeals noted formal trial errors as the procedure of lowering the monetary amount of a jury award was not applied correctly. The court noted that it “should first have considered the non-constitutional issue of remittitur, which may have obviated any constitutional due process issue and attendant issues.” Ultimately, the judge did not have the authority to reduce the damages in the copyright trial.

However, the case has not quite reached its end yet. The Court of Appeals raised a question that directly addresses the current way how the Copyright Act is being applied. “This case raises concerns about application of the Copyright Act which Congress may wish to examine,” the court said.

SOURCE via Washington Post