Thomas-Rasset's case, which began in 2007, has been a convoluted one--complete with retrials, judicial orders, and a host of different decisions. Tuesday's award to the record labels comes from the in which a federal jury ordered Thomas-Rasset to pay $9,250 for each of the 24 songs she was found to have pirated.

The presiding judge acknowledged errors in the instructions given to the jury in that case, so that decision was thrown out. Unhappy, the recording industry pushed for . The end result was much more favorable for the labels, with a jury awarding a whopping $80,000 per song -- .

The court found that award excessive, and reduced it to $54,000. The labels opted for a new trial on damages, and that jury found Thomas-Rasset liable for $1.5 million in damages. Again, the court reduced it to $54,000, citing the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment.

Back to Square One

All of the above court actions led to the current case in front of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The labels argued for the original jury award to be reinstated, and for an injunction against Thomas-Rasset that bars her from pirating music any longer -- and that's exactly what they got.