A blow to the global community

The Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA) won the first file sharing lawsuit to ever make it all the way to court.

At 31 years old, single mother Jammie Thomas now owes the RIAA $222,000 for downloading 24 songs. And that doesn't even include court costs, which could total more than $60,000.

More than anything, I'm shocked. I can't believe that an organization as powerful and wealthy as the RIAA, which represents an enormous group of powerful and wealthy artists, would turn a woman's life upside down over 24 songs. This type of controversial and heavily publicized action can't be helping the image of the RIAA. In the eyes of the public, surely this makes them seem like a heartless, greedy, and fear-mongering organization.

But I'm also dismayed. The RIAA is the most powerful force behind one of our most beautiful forms of culture, yet instead of adapting to the new mediums which facilitate its spread and development, they are fighting change to the death. They are choosing to live in the stone age. They are choosing to fight a force of progress that is unstoppable and unreasonably punish their potential base of customers.

Jammie Thomas has announced that she will appeal the verdict on the grounds of some definitions set near the end of the trial which, if redefined, could possibly (but not likely) exonerate her.

But the most important issues here are the ones that must be resolved out of court. They are the ones that the RIAA must figure out for themselves. The internet is not going away. File sharing is not going away. Most of all, the global community's desire for easy access to new and diverse music is not going away. The RIAA needs to figure out how to adapt to this medium of music exchange on reasonable terms that are attractive to the global community. They need to find something to offer the paying customer that neither record stores nor peer to peer networks have.

Sure, it will be difficult. It will require some thought -- more thought than it takes to simply engender fear through life-shattering lawsuits against single mothers. But if the RIAA can find a way to tap into the potential file sharing market, it will be more profitable than the old methods of music business ever were. This goes not only for the RIAA, but for the actual artists who produce the music and the fans of that music.

Let's just hope they realize this before they financially devastate more victims.