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MINNEAPOLIS – A replay of the nation's only file-sharing case to go to trial has ended with the same result — a Minnesota woman was found to have violated music copyrights and must pay huge damages to the recording industry. A federal jury ruled Thursday that Jammie Thomas-Rasset willfully violated the copyrights on 24 songs, and awarded recording companies $1.92 million, or $80,000 per song. Thomas-Rasset's second trial actually turned out worse for her. When a different federal jury heard her case in 2007, it hit Thomas-Rasset with a $222,000 judgment. The new trial was ordered after the judge in the case decided he had erred in giving jury instructions. Thomas-Rasset sat glumly with her chin in hand as she heard the jury's finding of willful infringement, which increased the potential penalty. She raised her eyebrows in surprise when the jury's penalty of $80,000 per song was read. Outside the courtroom, she called the $1.92 million figure "kind of ridiculous" but expressed resignation over the decision. "There's no way they're ever going to get that," said Thomas-Rasset, a 32-year-old mother of four from the central Minnesota city of Brainerd. "I'm a mom, limited means, so I'm not going to worry about it now." Her attorney, Kiwi Camara, said he was surprised by the size of the judgment. He said it suggested that jurors didn't believe Thomas-Rasset's denials of illegal file-sharing, and that they were angry with her. Camara said he and his client hadn't decided whether to appeal or pursue the Recording Industry Association of America's settlement overtures. Cara Duckworth, a spokeswoman for the RIAA, said the industry remains willing to settle. She refused to name a figure, but acknowledged Thomas-Rasset had been given the chance to settle for $3,000 to $5,000 earlier in the case. "Since Day One we have been willing to settle this case and we remain willing to do so," Duckworth said. In closing arguments earlier Thursday, attorneys for both sides disputed what the evidence showed. An attorney for the recording industry, Tim Reynolds, said the "greater weight of the evidence" showed that Thomas-Rasset was responsible for the illegal file-sharing that took place on her computer. He urged jurors to hold her accountable to deter others from a practice he said has significantly harmed the people who bring music to everyone. Defense attorney Joe Sibley said the music companies failed to prove allegations that Thomas-Rasset gave away songs by Gloria Estefan, Sheryl Crow, Green Day, Journey and others. "Only Jammie Thomas's computer was linked to illegal file-sharing on Kazaa," Sibley said. "They couldn't put a face behind the computer." Sibley urged jurors not to ruin Thomas-Rasset's life with a debt she could never pay. Under federal law, the jury could have awarded up to $150,000 per song. U.S. District Judge Michael Davis, who heard the first lawsuit in 2007, ordered up a new trial after deciding he had erred in instructions to the jurors. The first time, he said the companies didn't have to prove anyone downloaded the copyrighted songs she allegedly made available. Davis later concluded the law requires that actual distribution be shown. His jury instructions this time framed the issues somewhat differently. He didn't explicitly define distribution but said the acts of downloading copyrighted sound recordings or distributing them to other users on peer-to-peer networks like Kazaa, without a license from the owners, are copyright violations. This case was the only one of more than 30,000 similar lawsuits to make it all the way to trial. The vast majority of people targeted by the music industry had settled for about $3,500 each. The recording industry has said it stopped filing such lawsuits last August and is instead now working with Internet service providers to fight the worst offenders. In testimony this week, Thomas-Rasset denied she shared any songs. On Wednesday, the self-described "huge music fan" raised the possibility for the first time in the long-running case that her children or ex-husband might have done it. The defense did not provide any evidence, though, that any of them had shared the files. The recording companies accused Thomas-Rasset of offering 1,700 songs on Kazaa as of February 2005, before the company became a legal music subscription service following a settlement with entertainment companies. For simplicity's sake the music industry tried to prove only 24 infringements. Reynolds argued Thursday that the evidence clearly pointed to Thomas-Rasset as the person who made the songs available on Kazaa under the screen name "tereastarr." It's the same nickname she acknowledged having used for years for her e-mail and several other computer accounts, including her MySpace page. Reynolds said the copyright security company MediaSentry traced the files offered by "tereastarr" on Kazaa to Thomas-Rasset's Internet Protocol address — the online equivalent of a street address — and to her modem. He said MediaSentry downloaded a sample of them from the shared directory on her computer. That's an important point, given Davis' new instructions to jurors. Although the plaintiffs weren't able to prove that anyone but MediaSentry downloaded songs off her computer because Kazaa kept no such records, Reynolds told the jury it's only logical that many users had downloaded songs offered through her computer because that's what Kazaa was there for. Sibley argued it would have made no sense for Thomas-Rasset to use the name "tereastarr" to do anything illegal, given that she had used it widely for several years. He also portrayed the defendant as one of the few people brave enough to stand up to the recording industry, and he warned jurors that they could also find themselves accused on the basis of weak evidence if their computers are ever linked to illegal file-sharing. "They are going to come at you like they came at 'tereastarr,'" he said. Steve Marks, executive vice president and general counsel of the Recording Industry Association of America, estimated earlier this week that only a few hundred of the lawsuits remain unresolved and that fewer than 10 defendants were actively fighting them. The companies that sued Thomas-Rasset are subsidiaries of all four major recording companies, Warner Music Group Corp., Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group, EMI Group PLC and Sony Corp.'s Sony Music Entertainment. The recording industry has blamed online piracy for declines in music sales, although other factors include the rise of legal music sales online, which emphasize buying individual tracks rather than full albums. By STEVE KARNOWSKI Thu Jun 18, 9:08 pm ET
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By Bobbie Sage, About.com Are you getting cheap car insurance? This list will help you obtain cheap car insurance - not cheap in terms of quality but easy on your wallet! Get your car insurance policy and compare your savings with this list to see if you are getting all of the savings you are entitled to, or print it out and use it when getting a new policy or obtaining an online car insurance quote. Top Ways to Change Your Current Car Insurance into Cheap Car Insurance: Get Theft Devices: Most new cars have theft devices. Some are automatic and some have to be started at the touch of a button, but all usually get discounts on car insurance. Also, some states provide extra discounts for such things as window sketching.
- Ask for a Multiple Car Discount: Did you know sometimes insuring two cars can be the same price as insuring one? If not the same price, insuring another car usually does not cost as much as you may think. If you have two cars, it is very wise to check with your insurance agent, or while obtaining your online insurance quote, to make sure you can get this discount on your car insurance. Also, if you are planning to sell a second car, the cheap car insurance trick would be to keep that car on just liability to get your multiple car discount. Sometimes people are surprised when they call their car insurance company to take a car off of their insurance, only to find that their price did not go down but possibly increased!
- Stick With Yearly Policies: Choosing a yearly policy can extend your savings on your car insurance. Purchasing a yearly policy instead of a six month policy gives you a rate that cannot be changed for one year vs. changing every six months.
- Look Into Comprehensive Storage Coverage: If you are planning to store your car for any period of time, you can save on your car insurance by only keeping comprehensive coverage during the storage time. Since the car would be stored, it is very unlikely it will get in a collision or need the liability coverage.
- Re-Check Your Mileage: This is a great way to get cheap car insurance: If you are really close to the "miles to work" break-off, you may want to check your mileage closely. When your car insurance company or insurance agent asks you "How many miles do you drive to work one way?" this is a crucial question that will designate you into a particular class. Each class can have significant differences in prices.
- Look for a Group Discount: Many companies offer a discount on car insurance for being affiliated with certain organizations. These can range from credit unions, college sororities, or just having a certain credit card. Call your service center and ask them for a list of organization affiliations.
- Lower Liability, Comprehensive, Collision, or Medical Payments Coverages: Of course, you can lower your basic coverages. Comprehensive and collision are probably the first to look at lowering by increasing your deductibles on your car insurance. Most vehicles that are on bank loans can have up to a $1000 deductible. Next, lowering your liability and medical payments could help, but only if you are having a hard time paying for your premium and is not recommended for general savings.
- Make EFT Payments: Many car insurance companies are now charging up to $5.00 or more for mail payments, but sometimes nothing if you choose to have payments automatically deducted. And, sometimes the deductions can come from your credit card, so you don't have to worry if the money will be in your bank account when payment time comes.
- Defensive Driving Course: Some companies give considerable discounts on car insurance for attending defensive driving courses. Check with your state insurance commissioner, insurance company or when obtaining an online insurance quote to see if you could qualify and to find out where to take courses.
- Combine Auto and Home or Renter's Policies: Most insurance companies give a discount if you carry your auto and home or renter's policy with the same company. This discount can be anywhere from 5%-20%!
- Watch Your Credit Rating: Another great tip to get cheap car insurance - keep your credit clean! Yes, a lot of insurance companies are checking your credit and basing your policy on what is found. Make sure you check to see if your credit is in good shape, and if it is not, you may want to seek out companies who do not do credit checks.
- Train Teenage Drivers: Drivers Education can not only give a reasonable discount on your car insurance, as well as good grades. You can report them to your car insurance company every semester.
- Forgo Extra Rental Car Coverage: If you have comprehensive and collision coverage on your current vehicle, you might not need rental coverage. You are covered as much on a rental car as you would be on your vehicle. So, if you have a fairly new car you should be OK, but if your car is only worth a few thousand, you should get additional coverage.
- High Risk? Get Help: Whether you are in the process of obtaining an online insurance quote or using a local agent, if you are in a high risk category and when you try to get insurance you either get turned down or cannot afford the ridiculous high premiums, you may want to contact your state insurance commissioner. All states have insurance for high risk individuals who may not be able to obtain insurance elsewhere. The coverage may not be the greatest, but at least it will get you rolling again.
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There are so many auto insurance companies out there vying for your attention, claiming they will give you the lowest possible price while providing the best service. Between the highly popular companies and the local companies, it can be a bit confusing to decide on which company is better suited for you. While everyone is trying to find the best one out there, the answer just might be that no one particular company is the best auto insurance choice for every driver. Each driver has their own list of priorities for an insurance company and expectations that they must meet before they are chosen. Are you looking for an auto insurance company? Drivers who begin the search for their first auto insurance company or who want to change the insurer they are currently with need to know some things to look for in their next auto insurance provider. Always start off by making a list of things that are important to you; things that should be provided by the insurer to make your experience with them as pleasant as possible. If you are not sure what to look for or what additional expectations to have, read our suggestions below to help better explore your options.
Price
No customer wants to pay more for the same product that is offered elsewhere at a cheaper price. Often, a driver’s number one priority from an auto insurance company is to get the best price available when compared to another insurer. To make sure you’ve got the lowest price, you will need to shop around and compare what other insurers are offering to their customers. One convenient way to shop around is by using our site and entering in your information, which will then give you a list of price quotes from competing auto insurance companies in your local area. You can begin by entering your zip code on our Homepage. Another way to guarantee you are getting the lowest price for your auto insurance is by making sure you are taking advantage of the discounts that are offered by your insurance provider. Each company has their own rules and limits on discount programs, so look for a company that offers a variety of ways to lower your insurance price. Some of these discounts include getting good grades, safety features on your vehicle, and attending specific driving courses. Most companies also have an accident forgiveness program that could save you from increasing rates should you be involved in an accident. Customer Service
If you know that you want an excellent experience any time you make contact with your auto insurance company, always check into the prospective company’s customer service history. There are a few ways of doing this. First, during your selection process, you can call the companies you are considering and find out for yourself how they treat people over the phone with their questions. Do they treat you with respect even though you are not a customer? How do you think they would help you if you needed to file a claim in the future? Second, you can check how their customer service rates by researching the Better Business Bureau or J.D. Power (jdpower.com). Both of these companies compile lists and information regarding other customer’s experiences with auto insurance companies. You could save yourself some headaches by knowing what other past and current customers think about different auto insurance companies you are considering to use. Third, don’t hesitate to ask family and friends (and even friends of friends) who they use for their auto insurance and how they like the company. Try to find out how the company treated them when they were first purchasing a policy, when they changed their policy, when they filed a claim, when they had questions, etc. You will want to get a full understanding of their experience with their auto insurer so you can form a better opinion of the company’s customer service. Financial Stability
In this weak economy with failing companies, it would be helpful to know which auto insurance companies are going to be around for a while to pay out any future claims you may make. Auto insurance companies need to have more money coming in to them (by the method of premium costs) than money going out (by paying filed claims). One way to check their financial status is through researching Weiss Ratings (weissratings.com) and A.M. Best (ambest.com). Much like the customer service review Websites, these Websites provide solid information on the likelihood of an auto insurance company paying out a claim. These third party evaluations are not biased, compared to calling the auto insurance companies themselves and asking how their financial status is currently. Also, making sure these evaluating companies do not accept any forms of pay will keep their findings more truthful and a better way for you to compare the insurers and find the best one for you. Convenience (close location, online bill pay, answers phone)
The convenience of an auto insurance company may also be a high expectation and help determine which company you want to use. Factors such as online bill pay, a close location, and even how many times the phone rings before it is answered can influence your decision. Any company, including auto insurance companies, should make themselves available to you and be absolutely convenient in every way. The more convenient and easy a company is to use, the more customers they will have. An auto insurance company that is does not provide conveniences — no Website, far away, never answers the phone — should probably be dismissed as it would cause stress on your part when you do need to contact the company. Auto insurance is for your protection, and you should have every convenience offered to you.
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Six personal-finance experts reveal which credit cards they use and why. But their choices may not work for you. Great credit card offers may not be making headlines right now, but they're still out there -- and what better place to look for leads than in financial experts' wallets? Here are the current favorite picks of six personal-finance experts. Find out why they love these cards, why their picks may (or may not) be right for you, how to qualify for them and which cards have fallen out of their favor. Liz Pulliam Weston Liz Pulliam Weston Are these cards right for you? "For these richer rewards cards, you want a FICO of 750 or above," Weston says. You can search CreditCards.com's Credit Card Finder by your credit rating or by issuer. Not sure what your credit scores might be? Use MSN Money's free estimator. You also should travel frequently enough to rack up points and pay your balances in full each month. "If you don't spend enough and you pay a fee every year, it's not a good deal," says Weston, who estimates she spends at least $2,000 monthly on the card. Watch out for "tiered" rewards, which require a certain spending threshold for the best rewards, as well as capped rewards. "I spend so much that I want a return on every dollar," Weston says. Look for a return of at least 1% from a card, she advises. Her Starwood card gives her a rebate on hotel rooms in the 4%-to-5% range. Kicked to the curb: Weston stopped using a Discover rewards card because rewards categories for points changed every three months. "I'm busy enough that I didn't want to keep track of that," she says. "I want very specific hotel and air rewards." Weston also signs up for issuer e-mail updates and reviews her credit cards annually to make sure she's still happy with their programs. And she practices serial monogamy with her rewards cards: "If you've got a rich reward, you can pretty much figure they're going to water it down eventually. About every two years, I switch to another rewards card." Scott Talbott Talbott is the senior vice president of government affairs for the FinancialServices Roundtable, an executive forum for leaders of the financial-servicesindustry. A card he carries is the Citibank Diamond Preferred Rewards MasterCard (no fee). 
Scott Talbott Talbott likes that points for the card's rewards program can be applied torestaurants, electronics and other goods. He's earned a dryer and a camera with his. Meanwhile, he's considering a card that contributes cash to a 529 college savings plan. Are these cards right for you? "It's all about finding a program that fits your personal needs, lifestyle and family," Talbott says. "Really shop around, and remember that no matter how generous the program is, if it doesn't work for you financially, it doesn't make sense." Kicked to the curb: Talbott used to have an airline rewards card but realized he wasn't flying enough to make it worthwhile. "We found our annual fee about equaled what the airline ticket would cost," he says. Ron Lieber The New York Times personal-finance columnist carries these cards: - Chase Rewards Visa. It gives 5% back for gas, grocery and drugstore purchases up to $300 (no fee).
 Ron Lieber Lieber runs every expense except his mortgage, condominium maintenance feesand electric bills through his credit cards (around $75,000 annually) to reapmaximum rewards and has set up each account to auto-pay in full electronically. Are these cards right for you? Be honest with yourself about your needs and how you actually use your cards, Lieber says. Chasing rewards requires that you're able to pay your balances in full each month. That's because rewards cards tend to have higher interest rates; carrying a balance incurs interest charges that more than wipe out the value of any rewards. "Get your systems in place in your household first, and then think about what would be most valuable to you," Lieber says. "Some people don't want to monkey around with redemption of travel awards -- they want a nice check every Nov. 15 for presents or a charitable contribution. That's simple and effective." Kicked to the curb: "The Chase Visa is a deal they don't offer anymore, so we're ready to ditch that card the moment they yank that deal back," he says. Chris Farrell Farrell is an economics correspondent for "MarketPlace Money," which airs on National Public Radio. The cards he carries:
- USAA MasterCard. It's available only to members of the military and their immediate families (no fee).
Chris Farrell "I use my AmEx for business travel because then I always have good computer access with lots of plugs in the (member) lounges, and they have comfortable seats," Farrell says. Are these cards right for you? "The economics (of the AmEx card) wouldn't work out for people if they don't hang out in airports," Farrell says. Rick Kahler Kahler is the president of Kahler Financial Group, a financial-planning firm in Rapid City, S.D. He carries the WorldPerks Visa, which racks up frequent-flier miles and interfaces with Quicken and Mint.com (annual fee is $80). However, the frequent-flier program, offered by U.S. Bank and Northwest Airlines, is being discontinued because of the Northwest-Delta merger. Kahler says he'll probably switch to an American Express card tied to Delta miles. 
Rick Kahler
Is this card right for you? "I run all of my spending through my credit cards, right down to groceries, because they're tied to my miles," Kahler says. "Elite traveler status is very important to me. Because I do so much business travel, I carry everything on, and I want to get to the overhead storage first." Kicked to the curb: "I used the Frontier Airlines travel card for a while but could never get their elite upgrade, even though I qualified. I also used an American Express Blue, but I've never found the points to be flexible enough where I could direct them to my airline account." Manisha Thakor The personal-finance author carries: - Chase Freedom Visa. It includes online security features (no fee).
 Manisha Thakor "The No. 1 criteria I look for is cost benefit to me to use a card," Thakor says. "Also, when I lost my wallet, American Express was amazing with customer service." Thakor relies on her Chase Visa as a backup. "I haven't seen with other cards the extra layer of online protection it provides. If you log on from a different computer, they send a PIN number to your phone to verify you." Are these cards right for you? "The right credit card is like the right mate -- it's such a personal decision," Thakor says. "If you're carrying a balance, though, then by far the most important thing is the interest rate and how the card handles balance transfers." This article was reported by Sara Aase for CreditCards.com. Published on June 15, 2009.
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By Anna Vander Broek What would the typical college student do if he or she suddenly received a check for several thousand dollars? Going on a shopping spree, booking a trip to Cancun or blowing it on bar tabs are pretty safe bets. Then there's Matt Tracey. In 2006, he was a senior majoring in economics at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., when he received a $10,000 signing bonus to join UBS Securities LLC after graduating. Tracey put the entire sum into a mutual fund.
"I was riding on my parent's dime in school," Tracey says, "and I had to take charge of my own personal situation."
Students graduating in 2009 will be fortunate to receive jobs, much less signing bonuses. Unemployment has ticked up to 8.5% and is widely expected to rise further. Worse, according to a study by The College Board, students borrowed an average of $22,700 in 2007. And seniors are leaving schools with an average of $2,600 in credit card debt, according to the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups. "It's a very tricky time for younger people," says Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties.
"It's a very tricky time for younger people," says Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties. In an era when frugality is in, Tracey has put himself ahead of the pack. Now 24 and an analyst at Stone & Youngberg in San Francisco, he's already well on his way to having the money he'll need to one day buy a place of his own, start a family or splurge on that round-the-world trip. Tracey owes it to uncommon financial discipline. Out of college, he took the first $15,000 he could scrounge up and put it into a primarily domestic equity fund. Even before Tracey faces the temptation of spending his salary, he has his employer deduct the maximum amount allowed by the Internal Revenue Service--$15,500 for 2008--to his company's 401(k) retirement account. In a sense, it's like granting himself a raise. The IRS allows him to put the entire sum into the account without tax being withheld. Like many employers, Stone & Youngberg typically adds another 3% in matching contributions one year after the next January or July nearest their date of hire, which vest at about 20% a year. Even then, Tracey uses just 60% of the net income he does receive each month for rent, food, entertainment and the odd luxury. He's holding onto the remaining 40% of his net pay while he waits for an opportune time to invest. "It takes a lot of discipline," Tracey admits. Developing even half the savings habits of Tracey is tough. That goes doubly for the millions of college grads who received financial support from parents or student loans during school and are then suddenly faced with the need to stretch skinny paychecks to cover daily necessities, much less save. "No one is going to give you structure," says Marcos Salazar, author of The Turbulent Twenties Survival Guide: Figuring Out Who You Are, What You Want, & Where You're Going After College. "Your entire life you've been told what to do. Then you graduate." The most important financial favor grads can do for themselves: Live below their means, like Tracey. Doing so virtually guarantees that you'll live a more prosperous life in the future for two reasons. First, those dollars you sock away into savings accounts, mutual funds or other investments compound over time. Second, savers aren't racking up the bane of many adults' lives: debt. "Some kids start off on the wrong foot and want to live above their means," says Eric Tyson, economist and author of Personal Finance for Dummies. "If you do that, you're just setting yourself up for long-term financial problems." If you're fortunate enough to graduate debt-free, begin saving for the big things you're hoping you can afford one to 10 years down the road--a car or a home, for example. It's also a good idea to keep a chunk of cash in a local bank account. That way when an emergency pops up, like an unexpected medical or dental bill, you won't have to run up high-cost credit card debt to cover it. Patience also matters. Even if you save only a few dollars a week, you'll soon be miles ahead of friends who save nothing. The important thing is to position yourself so you control your finances--not the other way around. "You don't want to feel trapped," says Tyson. "It's a shame not to pursue dreams just because you didn't manage your money well." |
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