Obama Justice Department Thinks $1.92 Million File-Sharing Suit Is Constitutional

The Obama administration is asking a judge to reject a Minnesota woman's argument that a jury verdict ordering her to pay $1.92 million for sharing 24 tracks is unconstitutional.

"Defendant's suggestion that the actual harm can be measured to the 'tune of $1.29 for each of the 24 songs' ... ignores the potential multiplying effect of peer-to-peer file-sharing," the Department of Justice argues in papers filed today with a federal district court in Minnesota.

In June, a jury found that Jammie Thomas-Rasset willfully infringed on the record labels' copyright by sharing tracks on Kazza and ordered her to pay $80,000 per track. The copyright statute provides for damages between $750 and $150,000 per infringement.

Speechless.

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