The penalties that an individual or company will occur after committing copyright infringement on the internet will vary depending on the circumstances of the case. In most situations it will be a cash settlement that is agreed upon by the parties involved in the case. This could range anywhere from just a few hundred dollars to tens of millions of dollars. It will really depend on the specifics of the copyright infringement cases, as there are way too many variables.

Most of the larger cash settlements occur when copyright infringement is committed and there is a major profit loss for the copyright holder. A major example of this would be A&M Records, whom sued Napster in 2001 for providing users with their copyrighted music. This caused serious profit losses for A&M, and other recording companies as well. The result was a 26 million dollar settlement to be paid out by Napster to the affected companies.

Copyright infringement is classified as a federal law if committed solely with the intent to profit off of it. The penalty for a criminal case of copyright infringement can mean as much as ten years of imprisonment. Most cases of copyright infringement will be classified as civil suits and cash settlements are usually reached based on the damages, profits lost, and so on. Most settlements for civil cases are between $200 and $150,000.

The individual or company that commits the copyright infringement will also be penalized with the court fees and attorney costs. As a result of the infringement it is also likely for the defendant to lose his or her website if copyright infringement exists on it. Some companies even have to shut down as a result of a copyright infringement case.

The specific penalties that will be endured by anyone that has legal action taken against them for copyright infringement will vary tremendously. The most common results for copyright infringement cases are cash settlements of $200 to $150,000 and imprisonment of one to ten years. The penalties may be outside of these ranges but this will depend on the specific circumstances of the case.

A penalty of up to $30,000 per piece of infringed work is usually experienced. This is often increased to a much higher $150,000 if there is proof that the work was infringed with the intent to profit. Any damages and profit losses will be covered with the cash settlement so the copyright holder does not lose out at all as a result of the crime.

Copyright infringement penalties are very serious but they will only be experienced if legal action is taken. For this to happen it would be necessary to have a copyright infringement lawyer to be a representative for the copyright holder for the lawsuit. A convenient cash settlement is usually worked out when there is sufficient evidence to prove that copyright infringement did take place. However, it is important to remember that copyright infringement cases are very circumstantial.