News Sources: Downloader Loses Lawsuit

The music industry has won a key legal victory in a US civil trial on illegal downloading, a case likely to send a strong message on piracy through cyberspace. In the first US trial to challenge the illegal downloading of music on the Internet, a single mother from Minnesota was ordered Thursday to pay more than $220,000 dollars for sharing 24 songs online. Reporters looking for experts to interview on this topic can find them online at the collegenews.org database of news sources and subject matter experts from America's leading liberal arts colleges, including (click on names for contact information):

Zorina Khan -Assistant Professor of Economics, Bowdoin College - Zhan has published articles on technological change in the 19th century, including patenting and patent law; changes in patterns of litigation and the settlement of economic disputes; and antitrust litigation dealing with technology. Peter Christenson - Professor of Communication, Lewis & Clark College - Christenson is the co-author of It's Not Only Rock: Popular Music in the Lives of Adolescents, covering 30 years of research on teenagers and their music. He has completed a study of impact of video game ratings and the only study to date on music warning labels. His interests are in mass media and socialization of children and adolescents.

Raymond Riley - Associate Professor of Music, Alma College - A classical pianist and a first-prize winner in the Society of American Musicians competition, Dr. Riley has also conducted extensive research in the area of computer technology and new media that is reshaping the music industry today. He teaches several courses in MIDI composition, digital recording techniques, and multimedia development.