Several months back, blogged about the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) case against a man who illegally shared music files, Atlantic Recording Corporation v. Pamela and Jeffrey Howell. The RIAA is a trade organization that represents major record labels. For those who care about the outcome of the case, here's an update:

The RIAA won, sort of. (Source)

Then: Jeffrey Howell was accused of copyright infringement for sharing files over a peer-to-peer file sharing network called Kazaa. After various claims were made back and forth, the judge sided with Howell. Making files available for illegal downloading didn't constitute distribution, he said; therefore, the recording company had not proved that Howell infringed copyright, or some such.

Now: Last week, the judge ruled that Howell "willfully and intentionally destroyed evidence" after he learned the RIAA was suing him. He was fined $40,500.

As you may recall, the RIAA is under the gun for going after individuals, especially college students, for downloading music files without paying. Colleges and universities are rebelling against the RIAA for "cutting into their faculty's work day" by requiring them to look for and turn in students illegally downloading files. (Source)

It's a tough situation. Artists should be paid for their work, but the music industry model is broken. Suing fans is bad form.

Check out a post written by musician Rhodri Marsden, Please Buy My Record: The Futility Of Flogging Music. Not being a musician trying to sell music myself, I can only imagine how rough it is to want to make a living with your music and can't. Well, I can relate on a different level. I want to earn a living writing, but living a freelance life isn't easy.

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