Kazaa decision due Monday
p2p news / p2pnet:- Tomorrow is slated to be a Big Day for Kazaa, the once-popular Sharman Networks p2p application.
Then, judge Murray Wilcox, who’s been hearing the arguments for and against since day one, is to rule on “whether the peer-to-peer network is no different from a photocopier or is a giant “engine of copyright piracy,” as News1, New Brisbane, sums it up.
In the line of fire are Sharman Networks, Sharman License Holdings and Sharman‘s Sydney-based chief executive officer, Nikki Hemming who, some say, is one of the application’s real owners.
“If the defendants are ruled liable, Wilcox will hold a fresh round of hearings to determine the level of damages, which could run into the millions of dollars,” says the story.
“But whatever the outcome, observers say users of peer-to-peer services around the world already are leaving Kazaa for services which allow quicker downloads.”
However, quicker downloads aren’t the single issue. Among a number of other things, unfortunately for Sharman many, if not most, of the RIAA’s (Recording Industry Association of America) victims in its sue ‘em all marketing campaign were using Kazaa.
Meanwhile, EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) senior intellectual property lawyer Fred von Lohmann is quoted as saying the ruling, and other cases against peer-to-peer networks, hold wider implications for new technologies.
“If Sharman‘s claims are to be credited, the dissolution of all the Kazaa-related business entities would not stop the millions of copies of Kazaa from continuing to function, so even the remaining Kazaa users are unlikely to be effected by the ruling one way or the other,” he said.
If there’s something you think we should know, tips[at]p2pnet.net
See:-
News1 – Kazaa Case Reaches Climax in Australia, September 4, 2005
using Kazaa – RIAA victim talks to p2pnet, September 4, 2005
September 4th, 2005 at 2:38 pm
like anyone who has a clue actually uses that ols system
September 4th, 2005 at 8:20 pm
This comes far to late for the media companies. Kazaa has been dieing for some time now, new p2p networks with more advanced technologies are coming out.
Torrent style technologies are the way of the future. The cartels are always 10 steps behind, which means they will never stop the evolution of p2p or the consumer.
Kazaa is inheirently flawed, and allows the exploitation of it’s systems for fake floods (hawkeye etc via supernodes), and viruses.
New hash based file checking is superiour in everyway. Thats why the Edonkey and torrent systems are flourishing in the face of these amateurish attempts to discourage p2p users.
Viva P2P, live long and prosper
September 5th, 2005 at 9:33 am
Methinks your “universal translator” has a faulty “spell check”.
Liver long and Propser
September 5th, 2005 at 9:36 am
As we speak now, the RIAA / MPAA are attacking bittorrent. But that will prove futile. The next generation of anonymous darknet bittorrent is evolving…
When will they ever learn?! But, they are making a lot of money from suing people you say?!
But, no. They are losing people’s goodwill and faith, and this has translated into lower/few sales. So in the end, the more they piss off their customers, the more they lose!