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hbgator

Thu 27 Aug, 2009


Dutch judge threatens fines for filesharing website

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Filesharing website Mininova must remove its links to copyrighted items within three months or risk a fine of up to five million euros <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>(seven million dollars)<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> a Dutch court ruled on Wednesday.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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Dutch-based Mininova,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> which claims to be <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>"the largest torrent search engine and directory on the net"<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> acted unlawfully by allowing users to exchange films,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> games,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> music and television series,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> said the district court in Utrecht in the central Netherlands.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>"Mininova encourages the users of its service to make copyrighted material available via its platform,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>"<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> read a statement issued by the court.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>"This allows users to share protected material with each other and prevents the copyright owners from deciding how and under which conditions,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> including payment,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> their works should reach the user.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>"<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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The court cited research findings that 80 to 90 percent of the files shared on Mininova were copyrighted material.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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From its inception in January 2005 to June 2007,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> some two billion downloads were carried out via Mininova.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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The case had been brought to court by copyright lobby group Stichting Brein,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> which last month obtained a similar ruling against another filesharing website,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> The Pirate Bay.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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In that case,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> a judge in Amsterdam ordered The Pirate Bay to <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>"cease infringing the copyright of the members"<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> of Stichting Brein in the Netherlands.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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The Pirate Bay,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> which claims to have some 22 million users worldwide,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> has applied for a retrial,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> due to be heard on October 5.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>


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Mop

Fri 28 Aug, 2009


Re: Dutch judge threatens fines for filesharing website

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Yeah <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> I saw it on the news overhere,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> a big item <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>,<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> I guess this is the beginning of the end of file sharing.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>.<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>
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<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b> <b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>:<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>?<b style="color:#FFA34F"></b>