Record Industry Clarifies Its Hatred Of Music Fans

After deciding not to sue a 42 year old mother of five because she had created publicity about her case in the national press, the record industry has successfully sued her 20 year old daughter. Somehow in its death throws, the record industry has persuaded a judge to order Michelle Santangelo, to pay $750 for each of the 41 songs she is accused of downloading illegally — a total of $30,750. The New York Times reports:

Michelle Santangelo is the oldest of five children of Patricia Santangelo, who became a defendant in the battle against illegal downloading. When the elder Ms. Santangelo, 42, of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., was sued in 2005 by five record companies, she said she had never downloaded music. If her children did, she said, the file-sharing programs, not the parents, should be blamed.

Ms. Santangelo refused to settle with the record companies and took her case to newspapers and national television. She became a heroine to defenders of Internet freedom, who helped raise money for her defense.

When the case against her was dropped, the record companies said they would pursue the case against her daughter and her son, Robert, 16. No default judgment was filed against Robert.

Meanwhile, several prominent companies in record industry are going to the wall. EMI has just lost its chief executive, Alain Levy, following poor sales of many of their artists.

It looks like the record industry will fuel its fate by angering music fans further. The record industry only have another 18,000 lawsuits out there against other music lovers.

Recording Industry Wins Judgment in Piracy Case - New York Times