CBS Won't Pay for Janet Jackson's Wardrobe Malfunction

Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction was a freebee for CBS. (CBS Image)"]

CBS television won't have to pay a $500K fine for Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction.

America went ape shit in 2004 when Justin Timberlake ripped Jackson's costume momentarily (nine-sixteenths of one second, to be exact) to reveal a boob with a metal star over the nipple.

The brief boobage during the Super Bowl half-time show sparked a firestorm of controversy and mass hysteria over decency in the media.

The commission ordered CBS to pay $550,000, finding that the display was "graphic and explicit," "shocking and pandering" and also "fleeting," and that the broadcaster had violated "contemporary community standards."

However, a federal appeals court tossed out the fine, the largest ever against a television broadcaster for indecency, ruling that the FCC acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" in fining CBS.

CBS spokeswoman Shannon Jacobs reacted to the ruling with the following statement:

"We are gratified by the court's decision which we hope will lead the to return to the policy of restrained indecency enforcement it followed for decades. This is an important win for the entire broadcasting industry because it recognizes that there are rare instances, particularly during live programming, when it may not be possible to block unfortunate fleeting material, despite best efforts."