Supreme Court Rules Against Grokster and StreamCast
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Written By Reprise Media | June 27, 2005 | Share This
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Pirates everywhere will be up in arms (make that ARRRRGHms) over today’s Supreme Court ruling that file-sharing services can be held liable for theft.
The unanimous ruling holds sites such as Grokster and StreamCast (defendants in the case) accountable for the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material. Justices said it was clear that these firms knew their software was being used to illegally copy and share copyrighted works:
“We hold that one who distributes a device with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright, as shown by clear expression or other affirmative steps taken to foster infringement, is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by third parties.”
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences said in a statement:
“By unanimously upholding the rights of creators, the Supreme Court has defended an environment for legal online music services to thrive,”
In addition to the obligatory photo of indie rock juggernaut Coldplay, their homepage has more gloating with links to several related stories as well as anti-piracy polls.
Of course the blog community is abuzz and it’s the #1 search on Technorati. The Slashdot forum has a stirring debate that’s bringing in everything from guns to medical marijuana.
Topics: Legal Issues |