A six-man, six-woman jury has been seated to hear the Recording Industry Association of America lawsuit against a single-mother it claims downloaded and shared copyrighted songs.
The jury seated to hear the Recording Industry Association of America lawsuit over what it claims is illegally downloading music includes a high school English teacher from Kanabec County who has a master's degree and is a musician. He wore his hair over his ears and a black T-shirt with white lettering that read: "Got Democracy?"
The man said he has read a lot about the issue of music pirating in Rolling Stone magazine. He said his students also like to write about the issue. "It's a good, controversial topic for students to write about," he said while being questioned as a prospective juror by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis.
The jury was seated at 10:45 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Duluth. The teacher seated as a juror said most of his students probably sided with those who download music. "I know it's a very debatable topic with lots of issues," the juror said. He said his view goes back and forth, but he could keep an open mind and follow the law that Davis told jurors they will have to decide the case on.
The jury also includes a silver-mustached man who doesn't have a computer and doesn't have much use for technology.
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The jury was seated at 10:45 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Duluth. Opening statements began at 11 a.m. One witness began her testimony before the judge called a one-hour break for lunch. The trial will resume at 1:30 p.m.
