Slashdot Mirror
More Music File-Sharing Lawsuits in Europe
rfunches writes "The New York Times is reporting that 20,000 cases in 10 countries were brought against file-sharers in Europe, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). '...Users targeted for legal action included a Finnish lumberjack, a British postman, a Czech IT manager and a German judge,' according to the article. More than 70 computers were seized in Italy by authorities investigating illegal file-sharing. IFPI targeted both those who
'illicitly downloaded music' as well as uploaders serving copyrighted material on file-sharing networks. Total music sales were down 3% in 2005 according to the IFPI, with the decline in physical media (e.g. CDs) countered by 'soaring' digital music sales."
If the assholes would just realize the problem is them charging $20 for a CD that 20 years ago they promised would eventually be cheaper than cassettes and vinyl ever were. If CD's cost something more commesurate with their value and production cost downloading wouldn't be an issue beyond the fringe.
AE
When will this end?
Does file sharing stop? No.
FTBlurb
IFPI targeted both those who 'illicitly downloaded music' as well as uploaders serving copyrighted material on file-sharing networks.FTA
The IFPI's legal proceedings were aimed not at people who illicitly downloaded music but ``uploaders'' who put copyrighted music onto file-sharing networks.so which is it?
Stop Computers/Cars Analogies on S
Music Industry Unleashes More Lawsuits in Europe
By REUTERS
Published: April 4, 2006
LONDON (Reuters) - The music industry launched a new wave of lawsuits and criminal proceedings against file-sharers across Europe on Tuesday, part of its drive to curb online piracy and encourage the use of legal music services.
About 2,000 cases were launched in 10 countries, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said, bringing the total to 5,500 people in 18 countries.
That figure does not include the United States, covered by its sister group the Recording Industry Association of America, which has filed about 18,000 lawsuits.
Among the countries targeted was Portugal, where sales of physical formats like CDs have slumped by 40 percent in the past four years amid heavy file-sharing usage, especially by college students.
Other users targeted for legal action included a Finnish carpenter, a British postman, a Czech IT manager and a German judge, the IFPI said.
``A large number of cases involve men aged between 20 and 35 and parents who have not heeded successive education and warning campaigns,'' it stated.
In Italy authorities have seized more than 70 computers in the search for evidence of illegal file-sharing.
The IFPI's legal proceedings were aimed not at people who illicitly downloaded music but ``uploaders'' who put copyrighted music onto file-sharing networks.
The IFPI said last week that digital music sales soared in 2005, but not enough to make up for a continuing decline in physical formats like CDs, sending total sales down 3 percent.
2,000, not 20,000.
The summary is remarkably incorrect, even for a Slashdot story.
Copyright was not designed to handle file sharing networks. Most of it was based on the idea of criminals ripping off records and making large numbers of copies and selling them. Not ordinary people sharing for free. The sheer number of people doing this indicates that people simply don't see anything wrong with it. Laws that the vast majority disagree with are not usually a good thing.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Just listen to / get free music legally from The Kahvi Collective, Magnatune, music.download.com, Electromancer, ... or why not online "radio" services like last.fm or Pandora? You have to be pretty strange these days to like overcommercialized music but not anything from any of those.
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
I can give you the link to the heise story. Doesn't mention the specific cases in the NYT article though, just 'eine neue Klagewelle'. Babelfish for whoever's interested.
Didn't know it was illegal to share fire.
Must be some new anti-smoking law.
I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay
..............
I sleep all night and download all day
IFPI: He's a lumberjack and he's not okay
were going to sue him like the RIAA
I pirate songs, I eat my lunch
I go to the Lavatory.
On Wednessday I got summonsed
for my acts of pi-rac-ie
IFPI:He pirate songs, He eats his lunch
He goes to the Lavatory.
On Wednessday he got summonsed
for his acts of pi-rac-ie
Chorus: He's a lumberjack and he's not okay
were going to sue him like the RIAA
In the not too distant future, next Sunday A.D.
The law is a dangerous tool to play with.
At the moment there is a lot of grey area with copyright and the internet (IANAL) - which is why 'legal' music sites like allofmp3.com have disclaimers regarding local laws rather than concrete advice. In my own local jurisdiction the law appears to be clear about importing copyrighted material (and it's quite similiar in most other places) - i.e it's ok for personal/domestic use.
When the rights organisations test these laws the outcome might not be the one they want - and it will send a message to the mainstream users, who up to this point have been terrorised into not downloading music, that it is actually safe to do so.
They are playing with fire - and their time would be far better served coming up with a better business model than trying to defend an outdated one.
Genesis 1:32 And God typed
so why not the porno copyright holders?
Because there are enough people that Don't Like Porn that somewhere in the judicial process you'll get assigned Judge Michael Holywater and that'll be the end of your case.
More realistically, most porn webmasters are probably sensible people and not the mindless horde running the music/movie corporations. They may realize that a large part of the population can't/won't buy pornography and that it doesn't hurt their business model in the slighest for these people to get the product for free.
See the Wikipedia entry on fire-sharing
Set your phasers on "funky"!
Things like I2P and freenet are going to get a boost. Currently only a few whackos toy with freenet & co, but if you force enough people to consider their safety something is going to evolve. And then they will have a very tough task to ban cryptography...
Some weeks ago in the German magazine c't there was a feature on the legal situation of copying / downloading / sharing music and movies in Germany.
Apparently, the law firms have worked out a nice scheme to get the money out of people using p2p for downloading music / movies. It works as follows. Please forgive me my lack of law-related terminology in English.
First, one company tracks down the p2p users and files mass criminal suits against them. The charges get dropped by the court very quickly (unless it concerns someone dealing music / videos big time) -- but now, they have names and addresses, as they are not allowed to inquiry them directly at the provider.
Now what happens is this: some weeks after, a law company representing the big corps sues the user for some $BIGNUM of euros. The given user has a short time in which she or he has to react, contact a lawyer, file a protest etc. -- otherwise, the charges get lawful. Some angry letters later they propose to settle for a moderate amount -- 1-3 kEUR. Most of the people pay it just for the sake of getting out of the situation, and out of fear of having to pay $BIGNUM.
The whole process seems to be almost automatic and pays well off.
j.
I can understand arresting the postman, the manager and the judge. But the finnish chap, he's a lumberjack, and he's ok. For sure that was a mistake.
...Users targeted for legal action included a Finnish lumberjack, a British postman, a Czech IT manager and a German judge,'
All we need is a Spanish construction worker and we'll have the Euro-Village People!