3. File sharing's Joan of Arc

A Minnesota woman, Jammie Thomas-Rasset was found liable for downloading 24 unauthorized song files in 2007 and was ordered to pay $222,000 in statutory damages. The court later granted her motion for a new trial because of an error in its jury instructions. In a second trial in 2009, the court once more found against Thomas-Rasset, this time awarding $1,920,000 in statutory damages, a sum that was later reduced to $54,000. The record labels refused to accept the reduced award. She eventually ended up owing the top four record labels $1.5 million in damages, which In July 2011, was again reduced to $54,000, or $2,250 per song. The case is still in the courts.

This copyright case is big among the many Web users who pirate music and movies via torrent sites or cyberlockers. Thomas became a popular symbol of defiance against big entertainment companies.