Did Norway Just Outlaw Google?
from the seems-like-it... dept
While no one will explain it this way, it certainly sounds like Norway just outlawed Google. What they actually did was fine a student who created a website that provided links to mp3 files that were hosted out on the web. The guy didn't host any of the music himself. He didn't even post the links himself, but let others submit links to the site. Basically, it was a directory/search engine for mp3 files. Creating a search engine that points to something illegal shouldn't be illegal by itself. If any crime is being committed, it's being committed by those who are hosting unauthorized files. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to use Google to find plenty of links to unauthorized mp3s, and it would seem that, following this ruling, Google would be liable for all of those links. The response, of course, is that this site was created solely for the purpose of finding mp3s. However, how hard is it to create a search query on Google that does the same thing, and then that page generated by Google has the same criteria?
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
No Subject Given
A purely automated spider, like Google, would probably not be considered premeditated.
That being said, it's a curious ruling.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: No Subject Given
No, but it would probably be illegal to link to it... ;-)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
No Subject Given
"Creating a search engine that points to something illegal shouldn't be illegal by itself." If you change the emphasis from "illegal thing" to "subverting a contract offered by a creator" -- from noun to verb -- then the landscape becomes a little clearer.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
that headline probably should've been
[ link to this | view in thread ]