The long, sad saga of lawsuit-bedeviled MP3-ripper Jammie Thomas-Rasset reached a harrowing twist Thursday when Minneapolis federal court found her guilty of willful copyright infringement for sharing more than 1,700 songs. The judge says she owes the RIAA $1.92 million.

An earlier verdict against Thomas-Rasset with a $222,000 judgment was thrown out, but the RIAA kept pressing and finally managed to make an example out of Thomas-Rasset.

CNET reports:

In 2007, the Recording Industry Association of America claimed in a lawsuit that Thomas-Rasset pilfered 1,700 songs. The RIAA eventually culled that number down to a representative sample of 24.

Thomas-Rasset lost a previous trial in October 2007 when a jury rendered a $222,000 verdict against the Minnesota native. U.S. District Judge Michael David threw out the decision after acknowledging he erred when giving his jury instructions.

According to Ars Technica reporter Nate Anderson, Thomas-Rasset gasped when the dollar amount was read in court.

For the four largest recording companies, the jury’s decision is an affirmation of the legality of the industry’s copyright claims.

An RIAA spokesperson said the organization is willing to settle with Thomas-Rasset for less, and the poor lady is said to be considering negotiating a settlement.

Court orders Jammie Thomas to pay RIAA $1.92 million [CNET]
(Photo: ActionDashPacked)

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