18 European file sharers settle
p2pnet.net News:- The German Federal Association of the Phonographic Industry in Berlin claims victory over a 23-year-old who’s been ordered by a German court to pay almost $10,000 plus costs for copyright infringement, 18 other people in Europe have so far settled out of court as part of Big Music’s European sue ‘em all campaign against 200 alleged file sharers.
The IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industries), the Big Five labels’ European enforcer, began prosecuting in March, says a BBC story here, going on:
“Seventeen Danes and one German have settled at a cost of several thousand euros each.
“In Italy 30 criminal cases are being brought against individuals by public prosecutors, the IFPI said.
“An IFPI spokeswoman said that of the 88 Danish cases, another 23 were currently negotiating with authorities.”
On May 18, Italy’s Parliament adopted an act which makes file sharing a criminal offense that can draw sentences of up to four years in prison.
An IFPI spokeswoman is quoted as as saying litigation had also been launched in Canada but is currently “on hold because of legal wrangles”
In fact, far from being on hold, Big Music’s CRIA (Canadian Recording Industry Association) attempt to compel five Canadian ISPs to reveal the names of customers the CRIA claimed were sharing music online without their permission was thrown out of court.
Canada’s Justice Konrad von Finckenstein ruled that putting music into a computer directory that might be shared remotely by someone else doesn’t constitute copyright infringement under Canadian law.
The CRIA has appealed the decision.
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UPDATE: 12:55 pm, Pacific
According to a Reuters story here, IFPI boss Jay Berman says Britain, France and Sweden could be next, adding that Japan, “is also a strong candidate for lawsuits as recorded music sales there continue to slide”.
“The music industry has … announced more than 230 suits in Denmark, Germany, Italy and Canada,” it adds.
Canada? It would dearly love to be able to do so. But it can’t.
The statement is, however, yet another potent and glaring example of Big Music’s use of the media to distort the truth.
June 8th, 2004 at 10:36 pm
I’m glad that I am boycotting buying music. Bastards.