Thursday, January 17, 2008

Yes, It's Possible to Fight Off Legal Harassment from RIAA!

The following good-news story comes from The Register in England:

RIAA told to pay legal fees for harrassed defendant
By Austin Modine

"Tanya Andersen, a single mother and unlikely file-sharers' champion for hoisting the RIAA by its own petard, has scored another victory.
"A US District Court judge in Oregon affirmed an earlier decision to award Andersen attorneys' fees for the two-and-a-half year legal pursuit by the Recording Ass. of America, that ultimately ended in dismissal. The latest poop on Andersen was spotted by hawk-like focus of Recording Industry vs The People....
"Andersen denied the allegations and countersued the RIAA later that year for fraud and racketeering.
"Throughout the legal battle she accused the RIAA of using threats [and] underhanded tactics to find evidence. (The RIAA couldn't find proof on her computer that she shared files). Notably, she claimed RIAA agents tried to contact her then 10-year-old daughter at school by impersonating the girl's grandmother on the phone.
"In June 2007, the RIAA agreed to drop charges against Andersen, just hours before the court deadline to submit proof that she illegally downloaded the copyrighted material.
"The case was then dismissed with prejudice, meaning Andersen could attempt to recover attorneys' fees from the RIAA. Andersen also dismissed her own countersuit without prejudice in order to pursue a separate malicious prosecution lawsuit against the RIAA."
[NOTE: Ms. Andersen is seeking out other victims of RIAA to pursue a class-action lawsuit.]

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