A student in the United States has been ordered to pay $US675,000 to four record labels for breaking copyright laws, by illegally downloading and sharing music online.
Boston University student Joel Tenenbaum admitted in court that he downloaded and distributed 30 songs. He was convicted on Friday and ordered to pay $US22,500 for each infringement.
Tenenbaum used a computer at the home of his parents and at college to download and distribute digital files.
The BBC reports the four recording labels involved in the case are subsidiaries of Universal Music, Warner Music and Sony.
It's the second such case to go to trial in the United States. Last month, a woman in Minneapolis was ordered to pay $US1.92 million for copyright infringement.
