Music Piracy Case Dropped

The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) withdrew one of eight piracy cases it is taking to the Copyright Tribunal.

The eight cases are related to three-strikes warnings sent to those accused of downloading music illegally. 

 
The dropped case saw RIANZ apply for penalties of NZ$2,669 ($2,184) for five downloads worth a total of $9.61 but which the organisation says were each downloaded five times. 
 
The account holder claimed she shares an apartment with other students and did not know how to download. Lawyers say that under NZ’s strict laws, this is not a valid excuse. 
 
RIANZ did not offer a reason for withdrawing the case. But Wellington digital rights collective Tech Liberty believed RIANZ inadvertently sent a third-strike infringement to the woman before the 28-day stand-down period.