Online Legal Issues

RIAA hit with legal fees in P2P case...

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) will have to pay $107,834 in legal fees as a result of a failed lawsuit, a US federal judge has ruled. For two years, running until June 2007, the RIAA pursued a case against Tanya Andersen, accusing her of illegal file sharing; that case was dismissed with prejudice however, and Andersen and one of her lawyers were allowed to seek compensation for their defense. At points in the case, as many as six attorneys for Andersen were present in court.

RIAA ordered to shell out $100k for P2P witch hunt

Nail down your security priorities. Ask the experts and your peers at The Register Security Debate, April 17, 2008

Download growth in music& but not all of it legal

The record industry insisted yesterday that the UK's legal music download market was growing rapidly as a new report suggested that many online consumers are still resorting to piracy.

RIAA defendant Jammie Thomas may get new trial

Jammie Thomas, the Minnesota woman who was slapped with a $222,000 penalty for allegedly sharing music on the Kazaa network, asked for a new trial way back in October 2007.

EBay seller pleads guilty to software piracy charges

A 23-year-old Oregon man has pleaded guilty to charges that he used identity theft to set up bogus accounts on eBay, where he sold counterfeit software with a retail value of more than US$1 million, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

UK software piracy rate drops

from IT market research leader IDC, found that the amount of illegal or unlicensed software on PCs in Britain fell by one percent to 26 percent, the first drop in three years.

Jury rejects Dish Network's $1B piracy claim

SANTA ANA, Calif. - A jury found Thursday that a company that makes encryption technology for DirecTV violated federal and state piracy provisions, but awarded rival Dish Network Corp. just $1,500 of the $1 billion it sought.

Software piracy drops in the UK

The latest global piracy study by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) has shown piracy rates dropping in the UK.

Poll finds many online retailers are 'breaking the law'

A poll by Computeractive magazine has uncovered some interesting findings regarding consumers’ rights when shopping online.

RIAA Setback: Making Music Available May Not Be Copyright Infringement

A district judge may order a new trial in a music file-sharing suit that won record companies $222,000 for copyright infringement.

RIAA Outsources Fingering of Students Who Share Music Illegally

The RIAA is outsourcing the hunt for music thieves. Its largest target currently is those who operate from within colleges and universities, a move that has piqued the attention of Educause.

Piracy levels drop in the UK

UK Software piracy has dropped for the first time in three years according to IDC's latest global piracy study.

Software piracy costs SA R1.9bn

The local software industry last year lost R1.9 billion to piracy – an increase in economic terms, despite this figure reflecting a single percentage point drop over 2006.

YouTube, copyrights and copy wrongs

The longer I stay in this business, the more I think I should have listened to my mother and become a copyright attorney. Don't get me wrong -- I love digging for dirt and punishing the technologically wicked, but just think of the employment opportunities.

GCC bucks piracy trend

Arabian Computer NewsChannel Middle EastCommunications Middle East & AfricaNetwork Middle EastWindows Middle East

PC Piracy Falls Due To Tough Laws Says IDC

According to a study released today, software piracy in Australia fell one percentage point from 29 per cent in 2006 to 28 per cent in 2007, amid a global trend in which piracy rates dropped in most countries. Industry losses due to software piracy in Australia also fell to AU $525.4 million in 2007.

Study shows software piracy declining in many countries

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Legal downloads fail to revive record sales

Record labels are fighting a losing battle against consumers who illegally download music, according to new research.

Piracy problem sails to rural China

Software piracy rates dropped in 11 Asia-Pacific countries but increased on average across the region, due largely to a boom in PC shipments in China, a new study revealed.

Qtrax Signs Warner/Chappell to Free, Legal File-Sharing Service

San Jose, Calif. - Qtrax, the developer of a free, ad-supported music file-sharing service, has secured a deal with the last of the four major music publishers, Warner Music Group's (NYSE: WMG) Warner/Chappell, to license its repertoire for inclusion on the Qtrax service, Wired.com reports.

Software piracy remains a problem

Despite the drop by a single percentage point locally in the piracy of software on PCs from 2006 to 2007, industry losses rose to R1,9bn in 2007. This increase in economic losses is largely due to exchange rates and the overall growth in the software market over the past year.

Piracy Drops In Many Nations, But Overall Rate, Losses Rising

If software companies want to curb unauthorized copies of their software, they might want to follow Microsoft's (MSFT) example.

How The RIAA Targets College File Sharers

The Chronicle of Higher Education has an off-the-record explanation from an RIAA official on how they identify colleges and universities to target:

RIAA reveals how it tracks college file sharing

A painstaking examination of how the RIAA goes about its business hunting down file sharers on college campuses is available online.

VeriSign wins patent for Internet typo redirection

The company that runs many of the Internet's core directory systems has won a patent for its controversial service that helps Internet users find sites even when they mistype addresses.