The AV Club is reporting about the results of the legal case involving the file-sharing service LimeWire and the RIAA. According to documents recently filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the RIAA is asking for about $72 trillion dollars!
Even the judge in the case found the number absurd, declaring:
‘An award based on the RIAA calculations would amount to more money than the entire music industry has made since Edison's invention of the phonograph in 1877.'
How did they figure out this number, I have no idea, but this is absolutely ridiculous indeed as the AV Club is pointing out that the estimated wealth of the entire world is about $60 trillion!
Nevertheless, Jennifer Pariser, senior vice president of litigation and legal affairs at the RIAA, said to Computer World in 2011 that they truly were in disagreement:
‘We are confident there are more than plenty of works in this case that will constitute significant damages. Even the recent P2P report from NPD strongly reinforces the massive damages caused by LimeWire as the largest illegal P2P service. Its shuttering was a major step forward for artists and music creators who work tirelessly to bring us the world's greatest music’
She was referring to the fact that the market research group NPD showed in its report that music sharing via P2P tools declined after Limewire was shut down.
However, LimeWire still faces statuatory fines, which would cost the service $150,000 per infraction, so about $1 billion in total.
I don’t really understand all this, as there are obviously many other piracy services, you don’t have to look very hard to download any album for free, it is just a reality of the internet. And what about Spotify which basically robs the artists, paying them ridiculous amounts for letting people stream albums?
And if LimeWire pays anything to the RIAA, will the artists actually see any money from this lawsuit?