All those who download music illegally can rest a bit easier.
Last week, a federal judge reduced the fine of Joel Tenenbaum, a Boston University graduate student nabbed for illegally downloading music, by 90 percent.
The Boston Globe has more:
US District Court Judge Nancy Gertner ruled that the amount a federal jury ordered Joel Tenenbaum to pay last July was "unconstitutionally excessive'' in light of what she described as the modest harm caused to the record labels. She cut the award to $67,500, one-tenth the original sum.
"There is no question that this reduced award is still severe, even harsh,'' she wrote in a 62-page order.
Tenenbaum claims that the fine is still too harsh and that he is unable to pay it.
Earlier this month, the Associated Press reported on a federal files haring crackdown on campuses that would put schools at risk for losing funding for turning a blind eye to piracy.
Tenenbaum is not the only person who has been found guilty of illegally sharing files. Reported in the Sunday Times in 2007, mother Jamie Thomas was fined $220,000 for illegally downloading 24 songs.
What do you think? Does this punishment match its crime? Weigh in below.