July selection will begin Tuesday in Virgin v. Thomas, a case that sets Jannie Thomas, a mother from Brainerd, Minnesota, against Virgin, Capitol, Sony BMG, Arista, Interscope, Warner Bros. and UMG—all of whom are members of the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA). The labels claim that Thomas distributed more than 1,700 audio files on file-sharing site Kazaa in 2005, seeking as much as $3.9 million in damages, plus legal fees. Trial is expected to start shortly after the jury selection, possibly even on the same day, and Thomas' attorney, Brian Toder ,insists his client is innocent and stated that she will not settle under any circumstances. This is not the first lawsuit filed for the RIAA since setting out on their "zero-tolerence" campaign in late 2003. However, due to the number of labels involved, many say this trial could set legal precedent for online copyright infringement in the future. www.riaa.com
