Minnesota single mother Jammie Thomas is found liable for $220,000. That’s $9,250 each for 24 songs.

Interesting comments at Wired (via Coolfer).

RIAA fought to protect the interests of artists such as Janet Jackson, Richard Marx, Journey, No Doubt, and Green Day.

Unfortunately, the backlash from this public relations disaster will cost the artists much more than the guilty party. Sales will suffer in the wake of this latest major label fiasco, and ironically, it would very likely cost Green Day less if they were to pay the $9,250 per Green Day song found on Ms. Thomas’ computer.

If Green Day was to step up and pay the fine they’d be sending the right message to their fans. That would result in increased visibility and increased sales. More importantly, it’s something their fans would respect and appreciate. The message is that they’re aware of what their label and the RIAA are doing on their behalf.

The message isn’t that copyright infringement is ok. Copyright infringement does cause harm to artists.

The tactics of the RIAA are causing much greater harm to the artists and their hard won reputations.

Green Day should send a message that the current system isn’t working. The RIAA’s methods of dealing with copyright infringement through litigation have been a remarkable waste of resources and brand value. These cases are a failure for everyone involved.

Did you know there’s a movement to boycott artists associated with the RIAA?