Rich Fiscus
17 Jul 2007 8:54
After losing a suit against an Oklahoma woman for supposedly "vicariously" aiding copyright infringement, the RIAA has been ordered to pay nearly $70,000 in legal bills for the defendant.
Deborah Foster, whose daughter Amanda the RIAA won a default judgement against because she failed to defend herself, has always said she had no knowledge of any such activity.
The RIAA had the case against her dismissed without prejudice, meaning they reserve the right to bring further action against her for the same alleged activities, which would normally protect them from paying her legal fees. However, Foster's filing against the RIAA argues that she deserved the judgement because "the RIAA makes a practice of repeatedly bringing claims and then dismissing with prejudice after inflicting substantial litigation costs on the opposing party and the judicial system."
The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) also filed a "Friend of the Court" brief on her behalf, stating "a fee award would deter the RIAA from continuing to prosecute meritless suits that harass defendants it knows or reasonably should know are innocent."
Sources: EFF, CNet News