400,000 Messages sent to Heavy Downloaders

[Conti]

Yeh I dont think you can, I think the age is 13 to be arrestable offence. I never thought thats why she didn't get arrested

[Lance]

It is a law, and that's why people are being fined for it. The music does not belong to them, so they stole it. It is alright if you bought the CD and make a copy for safety reasons. There is a law for it.

[tajiritarantula]

The global music industry has claimed a milestone victory against music piracy after the Federal Court ruled that file-sharing technology Kazaa had illegally infringed artists' copyright.

Thirty record companies, including major international labels Universal, EMI, Sony BMG and Warner, had sued Kazaa's Sydney-based developer and distributor Sharman Networks.

They claimed the Kazaa software, which allows users to download music for free over the internet, facilitated copyright infringement on an unprecedented scale.

The court heard Kazaa was downloaded by 317 million people worldwide and used for 79 per cent of peer to peer file-sharing activities, with artists such as Coldplay, Radiohead, Madonna, The Beatles and Powderfinger affected by copyright breaches.

Justice Murray Wilcox found the majority of Kazaa's music files were "shared without the approval of the relevant copyright owner".

The ruling will mean future versions of Kazaa will need to include filters to prevent the trading of copyrighted music works.

Outside the court, Music Industry Piracy Investigations spokesman Michael Speck said it was a "resounding victory for the music industry".

"This judgment is one of the most important achievements in the fight against music piracy anywhere," Mr Speck said.

"This judgment explodes the myth that illegal file sharing is simply part of the 'internet revolution'.

"It is nothing of the sort and the court's ruling confirms that people who misuse technology should not be able to profit from the creative work of others."

John Kennedy, the chief executive of IFPI, which represents the international music industry, described the ruling as a "milestone in the fight against internet piracy worldwide".

The chief executive of the Australasian Performing Right Association, Brett Cottle, said composers, songwriters and music publishers internationally would welcome the decision.

"Music file-sharing on the internet has deprived writers of millions of dollars in royalties," Mr Cottle said.

"Those who authorise and promote file-sharing, particularly for their own profit, should be held accountable."

Justice Wilcox said Sharman Networks and US company Altnet - which delivers "piggyback" technology with Kazaa - had implemented no technical measures to prevent the sharing of copyright files.

"It would be against their financial interest to do so," he said.

The judge said it had long been obvious that warnings on the Kazaa website against sharing of copyright files "are ineffective to prevent, or even substantially to curtail, copyright infringements by users".

Far from trying to discourage copyright file sharing, the Kazaa website exhorted users to increase their file-sharing, effectively encouraging visitors "to think it 'cool' to defy the record companies by ignoring copyright constraints", he said.

Justice Wilcox acknowledged that Sharman "probably cannot totally prevent copyright infringement by users", and did not order Kazaa to be shut down.

But he ordered that Sharman and Altnet be restrained from authorising Kazaa users to breach copyright and that modifications be made to future technology to reduce copyright infringement.

Current Kazaa users should be pressured to upgrade to the modified software, the judge said.

The record companies will seek damages in a separate hearing, but Justice Wilcox awarded them 90 per cent of costs.

Sharman Networks intends to appeal the decision.

[Conti]

I knew this was going to eventually happen to Kazaa, due to it being so popular. But there is still other programs that let u do this naming a few..Imesh and Limewire are the big music brands going to crack down on these aswell??

[jasonwestwwe]

Finally it has happend!!! I was just waiting until something happens to them!