A US district court on Wednesday ordered file-swapping service
Madster to implement filtering technologies so that it does not
allow the trading of copyrighted works over its network. The
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which filed the
lawsuit, claims that the ruling is "a major victory" against
on-line piracy.
The RIAA took legal action against Madster, then called Aimster,
in 2001. The record industry alleges that the company violated
copyright law by allowing users to exchange pirated material.
Madster, on the other hand, argues that it is protected by the US
Audio Home Recording Act of 1992, which gives consumers the right
to make copies of digital works for private use.
Under the order, Madster must immediately prevent its users from
uploading and downloading copyrighted works or it has to shut down
its operations until it can do so. Madster is also obliged to
implement anti-copying technological measures and keep the court
updated on its efforts to prevent infringement.
The RIAA said in a statement that "other unauthorised
peer-to-peer networks should take note" of the decision.
The full text of the order issued by the US District Court of
the Northern District of Illinois is available from:
www.riaa.com/pdf/103002PreliminaryInjunctionOrder.pdf.
