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February 07, 2005
IFPI welcomes first court decision in France against illegal file-sharing
File sharing issues are now being addressed in international courts. The following lists the first French prosecution of an individual accused of illegal file-sharing.
IFPI welcomes the landmark decision by the Tribunal of Pontoise to fine one of the heaviest uploaders of music in France. This is the first time that an individual has been sentenced for illegal file-sharing on a P2P network in the country.The decision sets an important precedent and confirms the illegal nature of sharing music files without the permission of the rights holders.
"Alexis B", a school teacher, was fined 10,200 euros after being found guilty of illegally downloading and making available 30GB of files, or a massive 10,000 songs/614 albums. In addition, he was ordered to cover the costs of publishing the judgement in two French broadsheets Liberation and Le Parisien. The publication of the ads will act as a reminder and deterrent to all those who are exposing themselves to the same risks of legal action.
John Kennedy, Chairman and CEO of IFPI said: "We take no pleasure in resorting to lawsuits against illegal file-sharing, but we are encouraged by this French judgement. This sends out a clear message to all those who think they can get away with the illegal mass distribution of music files on a P2P network: you are not immune, you are not anonymous and there are consequences. Music is widely available to buy legitimately online – if you want to avoid the risk of a fine it’s easy, download legally."
Has the damn broke? Will other countries act to protect artist's copyrights? Developing…
Posted by BIGBAER at February 7, 2005 03:27 AM
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