BitTorrent user hit with $35,000 default judgment

Javad Heydary

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In Columbia Pictures Indus v May ((Slip Op) 2006 WL 1085120 (ED Wis)), US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin has awarded Columbia Pictures a default judgment award of $35,000 against a BitTorrent user.

Columbia sued the man for copyright infringement, alleging that his server and website allowed visitors to download copyrighted movies and television shows. The defendant did not respond to Columbia’s lawsuit, and did not challenge the default judgment order.

The court found that statutory damages of $35,000 was a proper award in light of the “massive online piracy” orchestrated by the defendant and the “harsh effects” that illegal downloads have had on the motion picture industry. The defendant has also been prohibited from downloading, uploading or otherwise reproducing Columbia's copyrighted works by any means.