this is related to the thread i just made about winmx.
Music industry sends stern warning to file swappers
Last Updated Wed, 30 Apr 2003 11:32:14
LOS ANGELES - The record industry has ramped up its war against online piracy. It's tapped into internet file-swapping services and warned hundreds of thousands of traders that they are breaking law.
"It appears that you are offering copyrighted music to others from your computer. When you break the law, you risk legal penalties. There is a simple way to avoid the risk. DON'T STEAL THE MUSIC," the message reads.
The Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) has told swappers on two of the largest file-sharing services, Kazaa and Grokster, that they can be identified.
Grokster Ltd. president Wayne Rosso called the warnings a "death rattle," and said the company was anti-copyright anyway.
Rosso said Grokster will not try to block the RIAA from contacting its users and that if they want to stop the messages, they can change their software settings to block text messages.
The record industry has been fighting to recuperate losses it blames on online file sharing sites.
Last week, the industry lost a court battle against file-sharing services after a judge ruled that Grokster and StreamCast Networks Inc. are not responsible for illegal copying by their users.
A similar lawsuit against Kazaa is pending.
As many as 61 million Americans use internet services such as Kazaa and Grokster to download copyright material, according to media analysts.
The RIAA located Grokster and Kazaa users' screen names through a computer application designed to work with the peer-to-peer software. It allows automated searches of 100-200 of the most popular or most traded song titles on the services.
The RIAA says there is no enforcement associated with the warning messages, rather the latest move is educational.
source:
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/04/30/Consumers/recordindustrydownload_030430
