EU Court delivers a blow to record companies on internet piracy
Overdue.
Record labels and film studios cannot demand that telecoms companies reveal the personal details of people suspected of swapping copyrighted material on the internet, the European Court of Justice has ruled.
The court was asked to decide on the issue after Promusicae, an umbrella group representing the Spanish music and film industry, sued Telefónica, the telecoms group, for refusing to identify customers suspected of swapping copyrighted material.
Promusicae wanted to use the information to bring a lawsuit against individuals it believed to have been distributing music and films on KaZaA, a peer-to-peer internet network that allows users to share films, music and other media.
Telefónica refused, arguing that European law required only that the telecoms group give out private information about its customers in criminal proceedings or in matters relating to public security.
The long history of Europeans having to fight seriously repressive governments for privacy and freedom makes the question a bit more pointed than the American public seems to notice. So far.
Posted: Wed - January 30, 2008 at 10:03 AM