RIAA wins $1.5m from 24-song file sharer

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has scored a major court victory with a judgement against Minnesota housewife Jammie Thomas-Rasset after she was fined $1.5m (£927,000) for sharing 24 songs online.

Thomas-Rasset was the first person to challenge the RIAA in court rather than pay a fine when she was accused of file sharing in 2007. She was initially accused of sharing over 1,700 songs, but this was later cut to 24.

Initially the courts found her liable and fined her $220,000 (£136,000) for copyright infringement, but the judge was later found to have given the jury misleading guidance and a mistrial was declared.

A second court also found Thomas-Rasset guilty and increased the award to $1.92m (£1.18m). The US Department of Justice backed the use of heavy fines and said that the award was "not excessive".

Thomas-Rasset appealed, and last year a judge cut the fine to $54,000 (£33,380).

"The need for deterrence cannot justify a $1.92m verdict for stealing and illegally distributing 24 songs for the sole purpose of obtaining free music," said Judge Michael Davis at the time.

The RIAA then offered to settle the case for a one-off payment of $25,000 (£15,450) to charity, on condition that Thomas-Rasset agreed to vacate the verdict so that it would not become official case law. She refused.