 The record labels filed for appeal in the Eighth Circuit on August 22.In December 2011, in its opening brief for the appeal, the plaintiffs asked the court to hear oral arguments pertaining to the exclusivity of the distribution right and the constitutionality of statutory damages which bear no relation to actual damages.The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), concerned about the ramifications of the case for its industry, filed an "amicus curiae" brief providing further arguments in favor of the plaintiffs' point of view.