Dutch Courts Issues Favorable Ruling to Kazaa File-Sharing Service

The Dutch Supreme Court ruled this week that a music-copyright agency can't place controls on the Kazaa file-sharing service. The message is that Kazaa's developers aren't responsible for the ways its customers use the service. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)--which represents major music companies BMG, the EMI Group, Sony Music, Universal Music Group (UMG), and Warner Music Group--had hoped to see the distribution of Kazaa stopped and the program changed to prevent the trade of copyrighted materials. "Today's ruling on Kazaa by the Dutch Supreme Court is a flawed judgment but leaves no doubt that the vast majority of people who are using file-swapping services such as Kazaa are acting illegally--whatever country they are in," the group wrote in a statement.