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Court approves $675,000 fine for man who allegedly stole 31 songs

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:33PM EST
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The math is pretty simple: Buying a song off iTunes costs around $0.99, while downloading one illegally could cost around $21,800. CNET reports that a federal court in Massachusetts this week upheld a jury verdict against former Boston University student Joel Tenenbaum, who “was accused of illegally downloading 31 songs from a fire-sharing Web site and distributing them” despite repeated warnings that he stop doing so. U.S. District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel said that because Tenenbaum had knowingly and repeatedly ignored cease-and-desist orders, the $675,000 in damages awarded to the recording companies by a jury is entirely appropriate.

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Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.