I was just reading an article of the music industry suing people for "stealing" music by using P2P programs such as Limewire. How come they are being held liable for downloading it and not Limewire for hosting the content? Have no legal exp. so am clueless thx for the help.
Limewire hosts nothing... you need to keep reading... try http://www.torrentfreak.com You are utterly lost in translation Nigel
I meant to say they "house" the files. When I search for a song a bunch of files pop up courtesy of them. I appreciate the kindness though.
http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/peersharing/a/torrenthandbook.htm Limewire does not house anything either... keep reading.... I am not trying to be an ass, I am trying to help.. This is a complicated arena. Nigel
Gray929, The reason that LimeWire isn't in trouble is that they don't actually "host" any of the files on their servers. They merely provide a conduit for file sharing between individual users. The files that are downloadable are actually housed on individuals' computers and are shared directly with the downloaders. Because they don't "host" the files, they have no duty to police the network for infringement. (see A&M Records v. Napster). In a later case (MGM v. Grokster), the Supreme Court discussed how a software company creating P2P software might be held liable for "copyright inducement liability". There's an excellent discussion of the cases and what P2P companies are doing now to avoid liability here: http://www.eff.org/wp/iaal-what-peer-peer-developers-need-know-about-copyright-law Let me know if you have other questions... Deena _____________________________________________________________________ Any opinions are offered without knowledge of the specific law of your jurisdiction and with only the limited information provided in your post. No advice given here should be reasonably relied upon by you or any third party without consulting an attorney who is aware of all of the facts and law surrounding your situation. Any advice given here is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship in any way.