July 28, 2009

Sanctions for Blogging in Music Case?

An attorney representing a college student in a copyright infringment case based on music downloads faces possible court sanctions for an Internet posting of deposition excerpts from his defense. The attorney, Professor Charles Nesson of Harvard Law School, is representing defendant in Capital Records Inc. v. Alaujan, a District of Massachusetts case that several record companies and the RIAA filed against the students.

Judge Nancy Gertner issued an electronic order on July 7 demanding an explanation why defendant and his counsel should not be sanctioned for the posting of parts of a deposition on Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society Web site. The court noted that prior oral and written orders "made clear" that deposition recordings were permitted but "not to be made public via the Internet."