Joel Tenenbaum is the second person in the US to be taken to court for illegally downloading music. To try and avoid potentially massive fines, the teen has admitted he downloaded and shared hundreds of songs.
The first of these cases to land in court, that of Minnesota’s Jammie Thomas Rassett, saw her hit with $1.92 million in fines for sharing 24 songs.
Tenebaum has been accused to using a computer both at college and at his parents’ home to share music. US law allows recording companies to receive $750 to $30,000 per infringement, although a jury can increase that amount to $150,000 per track for wilful infringements.
Tenenbaum’s lawyer said he "was a kid who did what kids do and loved technology and loved music."
The case is continuing in Boston.
