IPcentral director, Thomas Sydnor, comments on the Capitol Records v. Thomas decision. Excerpts-

"Yesterday, the jury in Capitol Records v. Thomas voted in favor of both the plaintiffs and the rule of law. The jury’s verdict sends two important messages.

"First, by rejecting the defendant’s a-neighbor-could-have-done-it defense, the jury indicated that the holder of an internet-access account is responsible for illegal uses of their account. This helps dispel the myth that you can download with impunity and then blame on your roommate when get caught.

"Second, by awarding damages of $9250 per song—well above the $750-per-song minimum—the jury spoke to both the illegality and immorality of unauthorized downloading.

"Some say that this verdict will not deter file-sharing because the number of people using file-sharing programs has increased since the lawsuits began. They miss the point. The defendant here was sued because she was allegedly uploading over 1700 songs. Studies show that the percentage of users uploading files on these networks has plunged since the lawsuits began. As users learn to stop uploading infringing files, the problem of infringing downloaders will resolve itself.