A Virginia federal court issued a\u00a0default judgment<\/a>\u00a0in favor of several prominent music companies after the defendant walked away from the lawsuit.<\/p>\n According to the order, there is a clear need to deter the behavior of Kurbanov who failed to hand over evidence including\u00a0server logs<\/a>. \u201cA less drastic sanction is unlikely to salvage this case,\u201d the judge wrote.<\/p>\n Following this win, the RIAA asked for an injunction to stop the sites\u2019 worldwide stream-ripping activities. In addition, the music group demanded nearly\u00a0$83 million in damages<\/a>. Both of these requests were taken up in a\u00a0report and recommendation<\/a>\u00a0issued by Magistrate Judge Buchanan last December.<\/p>\n \u201cDefendant\u2019s Websites caused the Plaintiffs to lose profits and streaming revenue because of the enormous internet traffic to and use of the Websites\u2019 stream-ripping functions,\u201d Judge Buchanan wrote.<\/p>\n Mr. Kurbanov\u2019s legal team opposed this recommendation, arguing that the music companies failed to provide evidence that any infringing activity actually took place in the United States. Also, if the court believes that damages are appropriate, they should be substantially lower.<\/p>\n The RIAA predictably disagreed and asked the court to stay the course and take over the recommendation. After weighing the positions from both sides, that\u2019s exactly what happened.<\/p>\n In an order released late last week, Virginia District Court Judge Claude Hilton concludes that the recommendations are in line with the law. As such, the recommended damages amount is justified.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on a de novo review of the evidence in this case, the Report and Recommendation, and Defendant Kurbanov\u2019s objections, it appears to the Court that the Magistrate Judge\u2019s Report and Recommendation is neither clearly erroneous nor contrary to law.\u201d<\/p>\n This means that Mr. Kurbanov is required to pay the full damages award the RIAA requested for 1,618 copyright infringements and violations of the DMCA.<\/p>\n \u201cPlaintiffs are awarded statutory damages for violations of the Copyright Act of 1976 and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in the amount of $82,922,500,\u201d Judge Hilton ordered while adding that Kurbanov also has to compensate the music companies\u2019 legal costs and fees.<\/p>\n In addition to the financial part of the judgment, FLVTO.biz and 2conv.com are also required to cease circumventing any and all technological measures. This effectively means that they are not allowed to operate in their current form.<\/p>\n Needless to say, this outcome spells trouble for other stream-ripping sites that offer similar functionality in the United States.<\/p>\n The order doesn\u2019t specifically mention that its scope is limited to the US alone. Mr. Kurbanov\u2019s lawyers previously suggested that an order of this magnitude would equate to a global shutdown demand. However, that may be up for debate.<\/p>\n Both FLVTO.biz and 2conv.com already\u00a0closed their doors<\/a>\u00a0to U.S. visitors last year. However, at the time of writing, they remain accessible in most other parts of the world.<\/p>\n Finally, it\u2019s worth noting that Mr. Kurbanov can still appeal the judgment. If that happens, the case will continue at a higher court.<\/p>\n A copy of U.S. District Court Judge Claude Hilton\u2019s order is\u00a0available here (pdf)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Source: \u00a0RIAA Seeks Millions in Damages<\/h2>\n
$83 Million is Justified<\/h2>\n
What\u2019s Next?<\/h2>\n
![\"TorrentFreak\"](\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/torrentfreak.png\")
<\/a> TorrentFreak.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"