A federal court has rejected the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) request for $250,000 in attorneys' fees in its ongoing legal battle with stream-ripper Yout.

The dispute began in October 2020 when Yout filed a complaint against the RIAA, claiming the organization had violated the DMCA by sending three false takedown notices that damaged Yout's business and reputation. The core issue revolves around whether Yout's service circumvents YouTube's "rolling cipher" technology when allowing users to download audio from videos.

Yout maintains that audio downloads are "just an incidental component" of their video content downloading service, which works with various video-sharing websites. The company also claims it prevents users from downloading content protected by anti-circumvention technology.

The case was dismissed with prejudice in September 2022, after which the RIAA sought $250,000 in attorneys' fees. However, Judge Stefan R. Underhill has now denied this request, stating in his order that it would be more efficient to wait until the appeal process concludes.

"The Copyright Act provides for recovery of fees and costs incurred by the prevailing party, including fees and costs incurred on appeal," Judge Underhill wrote. He added that denying the fee motion without prejudice serves the interests of judicial efficiency and helps avoid piecemeal adjudication.

Neither party has publicly commented on the court's decision. The case continues as Yout appeals the dismissal, with both sides awaiting further legal developments.

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