Australian court case tackles illegal P2P file sharing

By on 09 December 2004

The largest copyright infringement case in Australian history sees Sydney-based Sharman Networks and other "respondents" involved with peer-to-peer software Kazaa face 30 record company "applicants" from Australia, North America and Europe. The outcome could impact pending lawsuits in the US, and indeed alter the course of the music industry.

See the links below for stories filed daily from our courtroom correspondent.

Music industry, Sharman face off in Australia The largest copyright infringement case in Australian history sees Sydney-based Sharman Networks and other "respondents" involved with peer-to-peer software Kazaa face 30 record company "applicants" from Australia, North America and Europe. Read more...

Sharman, music industry spar over Kazaa monitoring No more than 2 per cent of people using the music file-sharing software Kazaa are located in Australia, Sharman Networks' counsel Anthony Meagher told the Federal Court during the civil trial against the company over alleged music copyright infringement. Read more...

Computer forensic witness takes stand in Kazaa trial It is possible to trace users sharing unlicensed music files through their IP address, the Federal Court was told today by the major music labels' first witness in their civil case against peer-to-peer software provider Sharman Networks. Read more...

Witnesses tackle Kazaa filtering claims Overriding severe objections from Sharman Networks' counsel, Federal Court Justice Murray Wilcox allowed an anti-piracy services provider based in New York to give evidence at the civil trial against owners of the peer-to-peer software Kazaa. Read more...

Report claims Kazaa "makes the rules" After objections from Sharman Networks' legal representatives, Judge Murray Wilcox allowed the admission of an affidavit containing a report on the economic implications of the Kazaa peer-to-peer software. Read more...

Kazaa activity can be monitored: Witnesses A witness on the ongoing civil trial against peer to peer software provider Sharman Networks has added weight to testimony last week that logs can be maintained to trace users who are exchanging unlicensed music online using the Kazaa software. Read more...

Professor declined to be expert witness for Sharman Sharman Networks' legal representative revealed an e-mail stating that one of the witnesses for the Universal Music Australia parties had previously declined to be an expert witness for the Sharman parties in the ongoing civil trial against the peer to peer software provider for alleged copyright infringement. Read more...

Related reading: Kazaa creates worst spyware threat, says CA Peer-to-peer program Kazaa is the number one spyware threat on the Internet, according to Computer Associates. Read more...

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