Jury Acquits Music P2P Uploader

[p2p rules]

Matthew Chow, member of music file-sharing site “Rabid Neurosis” (RNS), found not guilty of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement.

Last September the govt indicted some six members of the pre-release music file-sharing group “Rabid Neurosis” on criminal copyright infringement charges. Of that six two have now been acquitted of the charges.

For last Friday 28yo Matthew Chow was the latest to be found not guilty of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement, a charge which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Chow could also have been ordered to pay restitution to the RIAA.

“I am relieved by the jury’s verdict and I am grateful to my attorney for his hard work,” says Chow. Houston attorney Terry W. Yates, who represented Matthew Chow said, “We encountered some extremely complex factual and legal issues in this case.  The jury was very attentive during the trial. Their verdict was just.”

Federal authorities claimed RNS was at one point the world’s most prolific music piracy ring.

According to the federal indictment, from 1999 to 2007 Matthew Chow and four other members of RNS conspired to illegally upload thousands of pre-release music albums provided by music industry insiders.

The four other indicted RNS members previously pled guilty to copyright infringement, with three of them offering to testify against Yates for the govt as part of their plea.

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