ST. PAUL (AP) — A Minnesota woman who says she doesn't even know how to use her home computer has been caught up in the music industry's crackdown on people who download copyrighted music illegally.

While Tammy Lafky might not use the computer, her daughter does. And what 15-year-old Cassandra might have done, like millions of other teenagers and adults around the world, could cost her mother thousands of dollars.

The lawsuit has stunned Lafky, a 41-year-old sugar mill worker and single mother in Bird Island, a farming community about 80 miles west of the Twin Cities. She earns $12 an hour and faces penalties that top $500,000. She said she can't even afford an offer by the record companies to settle the case for $4,000.

Lafky said she doesn't download free music. Her daughter did last year when she was 14, but she said neither of them knew it was illegal.

"She says she can't believe she's the only one being sued," Lafky said. "She told me, 'I can't be the only one. Everybody else does it.'"

A record company attorney from Los Angeles contacted Lafky about a week ago, telling Lafky she could owe up to $540,000, but the companies would settle for $4,000.

"I told her I don't have the money," Lafky said. "She told me to go talk to a lawyer and I told her I don't have no money to talk to a lawyer."

Lafky said she clears $21,000 a year from her job and gets no child support.

The music industry has sued nearly 3,000 people nationwide since September and settled with 486 for an average of $3,000 apiece, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

"Our goal in these cases and in this program (of lawsuits) that we're trying to achieve is to deliver the message that it's illegal and wrong," said Stanley Pierre-Louis, senior vice president for legal affairs for the RIAA.

Pierre-Louis said the RIAA does not comment on individual cases like Lafky's.

Since January, the industry has filed 2,947 lawsuits, most against "John Does," until the record companies went to court to get names of the downloaders from their Internet service providers. Last month, the music industry filed 477 lawsuits nationwide, including two "John Doe" lawsuits against users at the University of Minnesota whose identities have not been revealed.

The record companies are willing to negotiate settlements if someone says they cannot afford the penalties. So far, no case has gone to trial, the RIAA said.

Contributing: Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press

story here
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/music/2004-05-26-riaa-vs-minnesotan_x.htm

"So far, no case has gone to trial, the RIAA said."

The RIAA also said they "prosecuted" the Pepsi kids. What gives?


Not that $4,000 is chump change or anything, but most middle class families can afford to fork it over if necessary, they just won't enjoy it. The only people running in fear are the poor which not only says more bad things about the RIAA, but also illustrates why even getting sued isn't necessarily a big life-impacting ordeal.

Again, not chump change. But as an analogy: on my modest hourly wage, I would still rather breach the speed limit by 5-10 mph and take the chance of paying the ticket than drive under it all the time. The middle class is the nation's largest. They're scaring the shit out of the poor and pissing off everyone middle class and upward, in my opinion.

Holy Crap a KaZaA user in Minnesota was targeted, must not have been using the same ISP as me, since my IP address tracks to somewhere in flordia, which is cool because they can't catch me very easily. I was going to dl some stuff in Shareaza today but I guess I wn't be doing that (j/k) indi music is soo much better than RIAA crap.

by the names it sounds like this is one of the many minority families in the Twin Cities, now we can say the RIAA is targeting and harassing minorities.... ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

this shure will scare the hell out of my history class tomarrow when i tell them...

Gee....right on Norm Coleman's front door too.......

"Our goal in these cases and in this program (of lawsuits) that we're trying to achieve is to deliver the message that it's illegal and wrong,"

illegal? maybe, maybe not. one day we'll see what the courts decide.

wrong? look in the mirror.

-aj

dude thats to close to home for me

now they will never download music again i consider that a lost sale for our band... they keep fucking with our sales!!!!

I hate you with every once of my being and one day you will not be able to be so smug. You are not right and I will prove you wrong. Bitches!!!!!