So, did the RIAA score a victory? Or lose another battle in the PR war?

[softball]

Two things....the most expensive thing you will ever buy is a cheap lawyer.
Secondly

The RIAA says it didn't have to come to this. States Cara Duckworth, an RIAA spokeswoman, "From day one, we’ve been willing to settle this case for somewhere between $3,000 and $5,000. We appreciate the jury's service and that they take this issue as seriously as we do. We are pleased that the jury agreed with the evidence and found the defendant liable."

They don't want the money, they want the judgment and for her to fight this case was just plain dumb.

The RIAA blames filesharers like Ms. Thomas-Rasset for the drop in music sales from 1999 highs of $14.6B USD, to the current level of $8.5B USD per year

While the porn business whines and whinges about tube sites etc. The RIAA as an organization representing an industry is doing something about it.

What if we pissed off all our customers by getting rid of all free and pirated product. I personally wouldn't shed a tear. I think there is no real defense for copyright violation. This just makes the little guy take notice. There are millions of little guys stealing music daily.