p2pnet - rss feed: Yahoo China guilty of copyright violation
p2pnet news | Music:- Still reeling after successful attacks by relatives of imprisoned Chinese dissidents against parent Yahoo US, Yahoo China has been told a Beijing court has confirmed a ruling of copyright violation against it.
“It is incredible that the music industry should have to defend its rights in a Chinese court against a company in which an American corporate icon has such a large stake,” Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG mouth person John Kennedy said recently.
Chairman and CEO of the Big 4’s IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industry), “Yahoo is one of the best-known international brands on the Internet, which runs its own legitimate music services all over the world, including in Hong Kong and Taiwan,” he said.
“Yet in mainland China, Yahoo is investing in and profiting from the widespread breach of intellectual-property rights.”
Now, “The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court on Dec. 20 rejected an appeal by Yahoo China against an April ruling that found it guilty of copyright violation due to its practice of providing ‘deep links’ to Web sites offering unauthorized content such as mp3 downloads, lyrics and ringtones,” says Kennedy in a Billboard story, going on:
“The ruling against Yahoo China is extremely significant in clarifying copyright rules for Internet music services in China.
By confirming that Yahoo China’s service violates copyright under new Chinese laws, the court has effectively set the standard for Internet companies throughout the country.”
However, on the same day, the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court found Chinese company Baidu not guilty of copyright infringement.
“The court confirmed that Baidu participated with and assisted third-party sites in transmitting infringing music, but said Baidu was not liable because the IFPI had brought the case against Baidu under previous Chinese copyright law,” says Billboard.
But Kennedy dismissed the judgement as “irrelevant, it says.
Baidu should, “now prepare to have its actions judged under the new law” and, “We are confident a court would hold Baidu liable as it has Yahoo China,” he says.
In the cyber-dissident cases, Yahoo was, “finally been forced to do something for two Chinese cyber dissidents thrown into jail for 10 years after Yahoo supplied information about them to the Chinese police,” said p2pnet, going on:
“Yahoo has continually denied responsibility, trying to claim it only turned over emails to comply with Chinese law.”
Yahoo had to agree to provide legal and financial support to the families of the jailed Chinese dissidents, “to settle claims it committed human rights abuses when it gave China information that led to the men’s arrests”.
Also See:
defend its rights - Yahoo China copyright violation, November 19, 2007
Billboard - China Court Rejects Yahoo China’s ‘Deep Linking’ Appeal, December 20, 2007
finally been forced to do something - Yahoo must help jailed dissidents’ families, November 13, 2007
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December 20th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
karma is a bitch
December 22nd, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Pot, Meet Kettle:
China is one of the biggest sources of physical piracy (read: counterfeiting)
in the world.
For that Beijing court to slam Yahoo over links to copyrighted music when
the very same is happening all over the country on a massive scale.
China, you live in very large glass house. Be careful where you are throwing stones.