Improper Motives: Federal Court Safeguards its Process Against “Copyright Trolls”

The Federal Court granted an order compelling an internet service provider (ISP) to divulge the names and addresses of some 2000 account holders implicated in alleged copyright infringement over peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. This type of order is often associated with “copyright trolls” in other jurisdictions. However, in granting the order, Prothonotary Kevin Aalto attached conditions […]

IsoHunt found liable for inducing copyright infringement

Nathan Fan is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Wilson released a summary judgment on December 21, 2009, finding Gary Fung and his peer-to-peer torrent websites liable for inducing copyright infringement in the U.S. Proceedings against Gary Fung began in 2006, when MPAA members sued Gary Fung and his […]

Mininova bit torrent site shut down

Stuart Freen is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. This past week Mininova.org, one of the largest public file-sharing sites out there, finally shut its doors. After a legal fight with BREIN (the Dutch music and film industry's anti-piracy arm) earlier this year, Mininova has now removed all infringing torrent files and is […]

The Disappearing Tail: A Clue to the challenges facing Copyright

Virgil Cojocaru is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. ‘The Long Tail’, written by Chris Anderson refers to the alleged effect of online stores such as Netflix appealing to smaller niches. Individually these niches do not yield a large profit, but collectively (hence the long part) they can provide a handsome reward. Some […]

Internet overhauling in European Union

European Union Telecommunications Commissioner Viviane Reding is planning to overhaul Internet downloading policies in order to facilitate simple, consumer friendly, and legal access to music and films online. Her response to a recent survey, showing 60% of people between ages 16-24 as downloaders of illegal audiovisual content, is that "internet piracy appears to become more […]

The Pirate Bay 2.0

Despite the ominous verdict from the Swedish court which sentenced The Pirate Bay (TPB) operators to a year in prison and a penalty of US $3.6 million for facilitating copyright infringement, TPB may soon have new life breathed into the service. Global Gaming Factory X, a Swedish software company, has offered to purchase TPB for […]

Not so bizarre, Pirate Bay Operators found guilty

Sundeep Chauhan is currently Vice-President and General Counsel to the NRCC. The Swedish courts have rendered a landmark verdict against the largest peer-to-peer site in the world.  The four men behind Pirate Bay, the Swedish file-sharing site used by an estimated 22 million users to freely exchange copyright protected movies, music, software, and video games, […]