[eccr] Netherlands Supreme Court decides on legality Kazaa

Slightly unconfirmed but highly interesting ;)
NC

>From: Henrik Nilsson <(henrik.nilsson /at/ twobirds.com)>
>To: "'(declan /at/ well.com)'" <(declan /at/ well.com)>
>Subject: "KaZaA is legal" decides Dutch Supreme Court
>Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 16:03:17 -0000
>
>F.Y.I.
>
>/HN
>
>- Press statement -
>
>KaZaA is legal
>
>The Hague, 19 December 2003. The Supreme Court of the Netherlands today
>reaffirmed that it is lawful to make the filesharing software KaZaA
>publicly available. This court is the first Supreme Court or other
>national high court ruling on the legality of peer-to-peer technologies
>such as KaZaA. The outcome of the case, brought in a counter-suit by
>music rights society Buma/Stemra, has been closely watched by the
>entertainment industry, technology businesses and consumer advocates.
>This victory sets the precedent about the legality of peer-to-peer
>technology across the European Union, and around the world.
>
>The decision of the Supreme Court confirms a March 2002 ruling of the
>Amsterdam Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal determined that the
>offering of KaZaA does not result in direct copyright infringement nor
>is otherwise unlawful towards the plaintiff Buma/Stemra.
>
>The KaZaA program enables Internet users to share multiple types of
>files. Once the program is downloaded from the Internet and installed
>on a PC, users can share files and download files from other users.
>This is done without any intervention of KaZaA or others. Among the
>files that the KaZaA users may exchange are copyrighted music files.
>Buma/Stemra objected to the KaZaA software because of the copyrighted
>music files offered by users. The Supreme Court has ruled that
>Buma/Stemra had no right to object to the software providers.
>
>Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, the founders of KaZaA, call the
>ruling a "historic victory for the evolution of the Internet and for
>consumers."
>
>The Supreme Court did not rule on the issue of whether individual
>file-sharers violate the copyrights of the music industry. In the
>United States, the music industry has filed suit against hundreds of
>individuals.
>
>In February 2002, the founders sold KaZaA to the Australian company
>Sharman Networks. Zennström and Friis have since continued to develop
>new businesses around peer-to-peer technologies. Zennström and Friis's
>latest company, Skype (<http://www.skype.com>www.skype.com) , is
>currently in a global beta. The Skype software program enables
>peer-to-peer telephony, allowing consumers to make free, high-quality
>and unlimited calls via the Internet. Skype has been downloaded more
>than 4 million times since August.
>
>For more information you can contact KaZaA BV´s attorney, Mr Christiaan
>A. Alberdingk Thijm, of the law firm SOLV Advocaten, +31 (0)20 5300160
>or +31 (0)6 25017 235 ((thijm /at/ solv.nl)).
>
>Source:
>http://www.solv.nl/index.php?blz=3&nid=549 and scroll down to English version.
>
>(KaZaA's attorney of record in the Dutch Supreme Court proceedings, Mr.
>Wouter Pors, is a partner at the Bird & Bird office in The Hague, The
>Netherlands).
>
>Henrik Nilsson
>BIRD & BIRD
>Stockholm, Sweden
>http://www.twobirds.com
>
>
>---
>
>
>From: Henrik Nilsson <(henrik.nilsson /at/ twobirds.com)>
>To: "'(declan /at/ well.com)'" <(declan /at/ well.com)>
>Subject: Text of ruling in KaZaA case
>Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 16:12:41 -0000
>
>
>Obviously one would like to see the text of the KaZaA ruling. So far,
>it is available only in Dutch but don't let this stop you :-)
>
>
>http://www.rechtspraak.nl/uitspraak/frameset.asp?ljn=AN7253 .
>
>Henrik Nilsson

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