$6.5mil Statutory Damages In Copyright Case

Arista Records LLC v. Usenet.Com, Inc., 07 Civ. 8822 (HB), NYLJ 1202472409489 (SDNY, Decided September 16, 2010)

"In this copyright infringement action, this Court previously granted Plaintiffs'² motion for summary judgment in its entirety, granted Plaintiffs' motion for terminating sanctions in part, and dismissed Defendants'³ cross-motion for summary judgment as moot. See Arista Records, LLC v. Usenet.com, Inc., 633 F. Supp. 2d 124, 129 (S.D.N.Y. 2009) (hereinafter the "Liability Decision"). The action was then referred to Magistrate Judge Theodore H. Katz for an inquest on damages. On February 2, 2010, Magistrate Judge Katz issued a detailed and articulate 23-page Report and Recommendation ("R&R"), in which he recommended that Defendants be held jointly and severally liable for statutory damages in the amount of $6,585,000. On February 15, 2010, Defendant Gerald Reynolds timely filed objections to Magistrate Judge Katz's R&R pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §636(b)(1) and Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72.⁴ For the following reasons, after considering Reynolds's objections, and reviewing the remainder of the R&R for clear error, this Court approves, adopts, and ratifies Magistrate Judge Katz's R&R in its entirety."