An American student has been ordered to pay $675,000 (£407,000) to four record labels for illegally downloading and sharing music online.
Joel Tenenbaum, 25, admitted he infringed the copyrights of 30 songs, including Nirvana's Comes As You Are and Nine Inch Nails' The Perfect Drug.
But the tracks at issue were only the 'tip of the iceberg', the New York Daily News website said.
Tenenbaum told a court he downloaded more than 800 songs from 1999 to 2007 on his home computer in Rhode Island and at college in Maryland.
Under federal law, the recording companies were entitled to $750 to $30,000 per infringement.
But legislation allows as much as $150,000 per track, if a jury finds the infringements were wilful.
The maximum that could have been awarded in Tenenbaum's case was $4.5m (£2.7m).
Jurors ordered the Boston University graduate to pay $22,500 (£13,600) for each incident of copyright infringement, effectively finding that his actions were wilful.
"I'm disappointed, but I'm thankful it wasn't millions," said Tenenbaum, who is studying for a doctorate in physics.
"To me it sends a message of 'We considered your side with some legitimacy'."
If the verdict stands after a planned appeal, Tenenbaum, of Providence, Rhode Island, said he will file for bankruptcy to cut his losses.
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