Law & Policy

Even a law criminalizing file-sharing - Sweden's new one - isn't likely to put a serious dent in it. The Associated Press reports that "Swedes are among the most prolific file-sharers in the world. Industry groups estimate that about 10% of Sweden's 9 million residents freely swap music, games and movies on their computers." So, the AP continues, "unless Swedes have suddenly changed their habits, … [Read more...] about P2P and media firms’ eyes on Sweden

The crackdown was probably not targeting any "amateur" file-sharers using family PCs. "Operation Site Down," conducted in 11 countries, was after high-level traffickers in first-run movies, video games, and other copyrighted materials, CNET reports. According to the BBC, the search and seizure operation, led by the FBI, "netted copyrighted material worth $50m and led to seven arrests," four in the … [Read more...] about International crackdown on ‘pirates’

Today the US Supreme Court sent a strong message to the file-sharing services: that they are responsible for their users' infringement of copyright law. The unanimous decision "stands to reshape an Internet landscape in which file-swapping has become commonplace," CNET reports. The decision "won't immediately shut down access to the trading networks, however." The Supreme Court sent the case back … [Read more...] about P2P services can be sued too: Supreme Court

The anti-piracy message media companies are sending file-swappers doesn't seem to be getting through. The BBC reports that, at least in the UK, people don't see downloading copyrighted material as theft, according to a government-funded study called "Fake Nation" by researchers at the University of Central Lancashire and the University of Manchester. The study was previewed at this week's … [Read more...] about File-sharings ‘normal’: study

File-sharing networks aren't the only channel for traffickers in child pornography, but they're definitely one of them. Which puts the P2P networks in a tight spot, the Dallas Morning News reports: They want to help law enforcement find the illegal pornographic content without sending the signal that they can track all illegal activity, including music copyright infringement. "The [P2P] companies … [Read more...] about P2P networks’ dilemma