[1460] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
NYTimes.com Article: Makers of Kazaa Are Suing Record Labels
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (jimmbswu@ALUM.MIT.EDU)
Wed Sep 24 16:24:02 2003
Errors-To: articles-email@ms1.lga2.nytimes.com
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2003 14:47:48 -0400
Reply-To: jimmbswu@alum.mit.edu
From: jimmbswu@ALUM.MIT.EDU
To: MIT-Talk@MIT.EDU
This article from NYTimes.com
has been sent to you by jimmbswu@alum.mit.edu.
Are the 3 MIT students under indictment also a case of mistaken identity?
jimmbswu@alum.mit.edu
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Makers of Kazaa Are Suing Record Labels
September 24, 2003
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 11:08 a.m. ET
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Turning the tables on record labels,
makers of the most popular Internet song-swapping network
are suing entertainment companies for copyright
infringement.
Sharman Networks Ltd., the company behind the Kazaa
file-sharing software, filed a federal lawsuit Monday
accusing the entertainment companies of using unauthorized
versions of its software in their efforts to root out
users. Entertainment companies have offered bogus versions
of copyright works and sent online warning messages to
users.
Sharman said the companies used Kazaa Lite, an ad-less
replica of its software, to get onto the network. The
lawsuit also claims efforts to combat piracy on Kazaa
violated terms for using the network.
Sharman's lawsuit also revives its previous allegation that
the entertainment companies violated antitrust laws by
stopping Sharman and its partner from distributing
authorized copies of music and movies through Kazaa.
U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson rejected those claims
in July but last week allowed Sharman to try again. Sharman
is incorporated in the South Pacific island nation of
Vanuatu with main offices in Sydney, Australia.
The Recording Industry Association of America called
Sharman's ``newfound admiration for the importance of
copyright law'' ironic and ``self-serving.''
Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group declined to
comment on Sharman's latest lawsuit.
Recording companies sued 261 music fans this month,
claiming they were illegally distributing hundreds of
digital song files apiece over the Internet. The industry
trolled file-sharing networks such as Kazaa and downloaded
song files from users' computers.
Once the industry determined a downloaded song file was a
copyright work, they issued subpoenas to Internet access
providers to find out who was behind the account used to
log onto the file-sharing network.
Meanwhile, the recording industry group has dropped one of
the 261 lawsuits, a case filed against a 66-year-old
sculptor who apparently was targeted in a case of mistaken
identity.
Sarah Seabury Ward, of Newbury, Mass., was accused of
illegally sharing more than 2,000 songs through Kazaa,
including rapper Trick Daddy's ``I'm a Thug.'' The music
companies threatened to hold her liable for up to $150,000
for each song.
After Ward's lawyer complained that Ward is a ``computer
neophyte'' who never installed file-sharing software or
downloaded any songs, the case was dropped in federal court
in Boston on Friday.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-File-Sharing-Lawsuit.html?ex=1065429267&ei=1&en=0728076d24ce1a9a
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