Friday, July 17, 2009

Good news for pro se litigants: SONY v. Kruger court to appoint pro bono counsel for Brittany Kruger

In SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Kruger, the Michigan case targeting Northern Michigan University student Brittany Kruger, the Court has granted Ms. Kruger's motion for appointment of pro bono counsel, and has referred the matter to the Magistrate Judge for appointment of such counsel.

Defendant's motion for appointment of pro bono counsel
Order granting defendant's motion for appointment of pro bono counsel

[Ed. note. This could be a great precedent for defendants. If other courts follow suit, and appoint pro bono counsel to represent the defendants in these cases, it will level the playing field considerably. Most gratifying to see this ruling. -R.B.]

Commentary & discussion:

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Keywords: lawyer digital copyright law online internet law legal download upload peer to peer p2p file sharing filesharing music movies indie independent label freeculture creative commons pop/rock artists riaa independent mp3 cd favorite songs intellectual property portable music player

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Way to go Brittany!!!

The Common Man Speaking said...

This man will rate the value of the lawyer provided based on his or her arcane knowledge of copyright law and the litigation history of these Plaintiffs. Unless this lawyer can (rightfully) get this case dismissed on procedural grounds some specialized knowledge of copyrights, private investigators, technology, and legal tactics (inadmissible hearsay declarations) will be just some of the skills required here.

Jim said...

It is better to have a lawyer, even a free one, than to represent yourself.