Conn. Man Fined for Downloading Music

A federal judge has ordered a Bristol man to pay more than $4,000 for downloading five songs from the Internet.

U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall Wednesday directed William Martinez to pay the minimum statutory damages of $750 per song for infringing a copyright as well as $289 for the costs of bringing the lawsuit.

The judge ruled because Martinez failed to answer a civil complaint brought against him or appear in court for the hearing.

Another Connecticut defendant, Jennifer Brothers of Andover, was fined $6,000 when she defaulted on a similar complaint, according to this from the AP.