So Jammie Thomas’s verdict went from $222,000 to $1.92 million in her re-trial.  I still think her “gremlins did it” defense was the height of stupidity but if anything, this verdict shows that the laws are seriously flawed. $80,000 per song?

We should all create some music and sign up with the recording industry since every starving artist obviously gets filthy rich from the RIAA. Pirating music and video is illegal, but there should be some sort of penalty that weighs the actual crime with the real damages. The RIAA is and remains an extortion outfit and will get more mileage from this verdict to advertise their extortion/protection racket.

Jammie Thomas made a mistake and should have come clean. How different would the outcome for her had been if her lawyer said to the RIAA “If you keep the terms private, we will pay $xx per song”. That would have likely been accepted if only because the RIAA would have avoided the bad press. Instead, she now again becomes the poster child for “Hey, I said it was not me” defense.

Now the RIAA and their extortion scheme of “Pay up now or we’ll take your family’s home and possessions” scam just got more lucrative. She will never be able to pay but they will get it all back in free press.