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Legal Victory for P2P in France
nietsch writes "The Register is reporting that a french Kazaa user that had been sued by the SCPP (the french equivalent of the RIAA) has been acquitted by the courts in his county. 'The Judges decided that these acts of downloading and uploading qualified as private copying' Ars Technica has more coverage on the subject, or you can read it in english from the organization that lead the defense."
It means private as in non-commercial, not as in kept hidden from the rest of the world.
"The music industry is very used to getting their way. They have plenty of money to give to politicians when they aren't giving it to radio stations in illegal pay for play schemes. Give them a while and they will bribe the bad news away..."
Because God Forbid the music industry actually gives any of that money to the people that write/play/record/produce/create the music that makes them an industry. I figure the artists should actually see some of the money instead of it being spent on lawsuits and red-tape.
I mean, that's like winning the $100M lottery and only getting $5 out of it because someone decided that they'd use the rest of the money to sue other people to make sure someone doesn't steal my $5.
I guess I just don't see how the RIAA isn't a wholy owned subsidiary of the Mafia.
-=JML=-
What they seem to be looking at is accepting that people are going to use P2P networks anyway, and look at implementing some kind of revenue model to ensure that music publishers don't get so antsy in france that they sue dead people who have never used a computer.
"But," I hear you cry, "what's to stop me using Brand X esoteric open source P2P software?". Well, if you are using and not paying, you are now committing an offence against the state.
Which makes it a damn sight easier to get your arse put in prison.
Cunning.
-- "You never mentioned comets before, Mac. This opens up a whole new area of negotiation." - Gordon Urquart
Must explain the WWII stuff and all.
Like why France was the first country to declare war on the Nazis in Sept '39 while the US just sat on their hands?
Who knew france would be the country to stick up for digital copy rights?
Well, they opposed Bush in his "omg teh terroristz lets bomb iraq!" madness.
I would have thought, in this specific occurrence, that it is the US who surrendered to big business.
But I'm just French. And not even Republican. What do I know about spinning news?
It would be nice to be sure of anything the way some people are of everything.