Jammie Will Get Another Day In Court…

Tuesday, August, 19, 2008 by Mel Phillips.

The judge who ruled that Jammie Thomas owed $222,222 for her downloaded and shared music files has had a change of heart.  The Wall Street Journal reports that Judge Michael Davis feels his instructions to the jury may have been wrong.  This file-sharing stuff is unchartered territory you know.  Originally the judge told the jury that making songs available online for distribution to others was a copyright violation and that the record companies did not have to prove distribution took place.  The judge has learned since that making songs available is not a copyright violation and is now weighing granting Jammie a new trial…

The judge changed his view after a federal district court case in Phoenix ruled that making songs available was not a copyright violation.  Of course sharing files is a different matter but Jammie Thomas claims she never shared music files because the songs were “never on her computer.”   Her attorney Brian Toder says the RIAA has “circumstantial evidence” proving Mrs. Thomas shared her files.  “Somebody else could have hacked into her computer.” …

Of course it’s also possible that the tooth fairy did it - however the file sharing happened the case in Phoenix will make it harder than ever to prove file sharing in the future.  One good thing coming out of all this business is that it will put lawyers to work.  Law firms will love that…

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1960] Convicted: A tribunal in Moscow convicts American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers of espionage. Gary will serve his time and eventually be released in February, 1962…
2. 1973] Wedding Bells: Rita Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson say “I do”. The marriage ends in 1980…1993] Kim Bassinger  and Alec Baldwin  unite and what exactly were they thinking???1993] Mattel and Fisher Price walk down the aisle…
3. 1976] Vote for me: President Gerald R. Ford wins the Republican presidential nomination at the party’s national convention in Kansas City…
4. 1977] “Happy Trails”: The legendary Groucho Marx  dies of pneumonia at 86. Groucho always said he wanted to be buried above Marilyn Monroe. He didn’t get his wish…
5. 1981] Curtains: The final episode of “Charlie’s Angels” airs after 5 years as a series…1993]  “Cheers“, one of the most popular sit-coms of all-time ends its 11-year run…
6. 1991] Bobbed: Hurricane Bob, the first major hurricane of 1991 hits the Northeast leaving 10 dead and $2.8 billion in damages…
7. 1996] Tucked in: A judge sentences former Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker  to 4 years probation for his Whitewater crimes…
8. 2003] Bombed in Baghdad: A suicide truck bomb strikes U.N. headquarters  in Baghdad, killing 22 including the U.N. envoy…
9. 2004] A private matter: Google  goes public, opening at $85 and closing at $100 with 22 million shares sold. A share of Google now goes for $510…
10. 2005] So sue me: A Texas jury finds Merck & Co. liable for the death of a man who’d taken Vioxx, awarding his widow $253.4 million in damages. The award will be reduced to about $26 million…

Music Memories:

• 1979] Number One on this date: “My Sharona” - The Knack (it stays at #1 for over a month)…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday”:

Matthew Perry (39), Lee Ann Womack (42), Kyra Sedgwick (43), John Stamos (45), Ron Darling (48), Adam Arkin (52), Mary Matalin (55), Tipper Gore (60), Bill Clinton (62), Billy J. Kramer (65), Fred Thompson (66), Jill St. John (68), Johnny Nash (68), Ginger Baker (69) and Bobby Richardson (73)…

Timeline Countdown: 13 days until Labor Day and 16 days until the NFL opener (Washington @ NYG)…

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