Media Distribution

BOSTON - A federal judge on Friday drastically trimmed a $675,000 verdict against a Boston University graduate student who was found liable for illegally downloading and sharing 30 songs online, saying the jury damage award against a person who gained no financial benefit from his copyright infringement is "unconstitutionally excessive." Joel Tenenbaum, from Providence, R.I., was sued by some of the largest music companies who said he violated copyright rules.

SYDNEY - An Australian judge ruled Thursday that an Internet service provider cannot be held accountable for illegal movie downloads by its customers, in a test case of a key strategy by entertainment companies to combat online piracy.

SYDNEY - An Australian Internet provider cannot be held responsible for copyright violations when its users illegally download movies, a judge said Thursday in a ruling against major film companies.

MINNEAPOLIS - A trade group representing the major music labels said Wednesday it will reject a reduced penalty for a central Minnesota woman found guilty of sharing 24 songs over the Internet, and will instead begin preparing for another trial to determine new damages.

LONDON - The founder of a Web site accused of being one of the world's biggest sources of illegally downloaded music was cleared of fraud by a British court on Friday.