Convicted File-Sharing Student Refuses Donations

By Digital Trends Staff August 3, 2009

Convicted File-Sharing Student Refuses Donations

"I ask no one to help me. And I ask for no one to cover what I signed up for," Joel Teenbaum wrote on his blog. "I shared music. I was the one who wanted a say in court. This lawsuit was against me. This is my verdict."

It’s certainly a heavy verdict. Found guilty of illegally sharing music, he has to find $675,000 to pay four record labels. Already people have offered money, with $2,000 raised so far. But he doesn’t want it.

"We don’t want the RIAA to be paid when I can’t afford to do it, and this money could be more valuable elsewhere," he continued.

"From the money raised already, I would like to reimburse my legal team for the money they’ve spent out of their own pockets."

In another post, he said he’d declare bankruptcy if his appeal isn’t successful. He was found guilty of illegally downloading 30 songs (although he admitted to several hundred) and was ordered to pay $22,500 per song.

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