This is an example of things going full circle. Sharman Networks, the distributor of the Kazaa file-sharing software, can pursue copyright-infringement and breach of contract claims against the major record labels and movie studios, U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson in Los Angeles ruled.
The suit claims the entertainment companies, as part of an effort to stop online piracy, used unauthorized versions of the Kazaa software access the network.
Sharman's lawsuit is in response to legal action taken by the entertainment companies including Time Warner Inc. and EMI Group Plc against Sharman for enabling copyright infringement.
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The counterclaim was filed against the Recording Industry Association of America, which represents the major record labels. including Vivendi Universal SA's Universal Music and Bertelsmann AG's BMG, and the Motion Picture Association of America, which represents the Hollywood studios including Walt Disney Co. and Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures. Wilson didn't rule on antitrust claims brought by Sharman, saying that portion of the lawsuit should be delayed until a federal appeals court rules on a related part of the case. Last year, Wilson ruled that two other sources of free music and movies, Grokster and Morpheus, didn't violate U.S. copyright laws. The antitrust claims "aren't moving forward for now and at the end of the day, even if they do, Sharman won't be able to prove its case," the RIAA said in a statement. MPAA spokeswoman Marta Grutka declined to comment. |
Sharman
begs to differ with the RIAA comment. They say that the watchdog group was using
unauthorized versions to pepper the network with garbage files and send
"threatening messages" to other Kazaa users in a violation of Kazaa's terms
for using the network. Thanks to P2P.net for spotting this story . Stay tuned.
Source: Oakland Tribune
