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Record Labels Continue Their Attack On Spanish File Sharing Programmers

from the just-can't-stop dept

Wed, May 20th 2009 5:50pm — Mike Masnick

We've seen a series of efforts by the big four major record labels to shut down file search engines and software in Spain, despite the fact that such systems have been ruled legal in the country in the past. In one case, they were able to get one guy to cop a guilty plea and get jail time, because he couldn't afford to fight the charges. The latest such story is actually getting covered by the Associated Press, as the big four record labels are going after yet another programmer who created some file sharing apps, trying to charge him with "unfair competition" and demanding $17.5 million. Part of his defense is that Spain has a music levy on blank media, and thus it should be legal for anyone to download (other cases in Spain have ruled that personal downloading isn't a violation) -- and, thus, not a violation to create tools for such downloads. It'll come as not much of a surprise, that the record labels disagree. They'd prefer to get their piracy tax and shut down any attempts to share music at the same time.

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Filed Under: bittorrent, file sharing, injunctions, search, spain

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Anonymous Coward, 20 May 2009 @ 6:04pm

" ... they were able to get one guy to cop a guilty plea and get jail time, because he couldn't afford to fight the charges."

- And if that didn't work, I suppose they were going to waterboard him.
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anonymous, 20 May 2009 @ 6:52pm

just for that ill burn a few albums right now, and maybe a movie while im at it. Bwahahaha
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Alan, 20 May 2009 @ 7:14pm

Does anyone else find it worrying that Copyright, which was originally supposed to promote innovation in art and science, is being used as a bludgeon to chill innovation in completely unrelated areas?
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Anonymous Coward, 20 May 2009 @ 7:53pm

Re:
It's being used to put people in jail.
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Dave, 20 May 2009 @ 8:06pm

cosas malas
That's a shame. Spain is very progressive in many areas. But on technology, particularly internet technology, they are lagging. I see it myself, and I hear it directly from Spaniards. And maybe this has something to do with tech policy lagging, too.
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WarOtter (profile), 21 May 2009 @ 5:14am

Re: cosas malas
I dunno about that, from some of the stories recently, it seems as though the Spanish courts have a good amount of common sense and integrity, and that can help override any lack of knowledge in any area. But of course I could be wrong.
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TDR, 21 May 2009 @ 9:10am

To the labels:

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my creativity. Prepare to die."
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The infamous Joe, 21 May 2009 @ 9:58am

Re: cosas malas
Spanish laws say that making a copy for personal use, regardless of the source, is not illegal.

Sounds like they are ahead of us to me.
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Studiox, 30 May 2009 @ 1:05am

Same here in the USA
Record Labels here in the USA. They want the radio stations to pay them for playing the music on the radio. I say its time to stop buying CDs and going to shows. Just to show the Record Company's that the fans are why their in Business.
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Sammie Houston (profile), 17 Jun 2009 @ 4:34am

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