Australian court rules against online piracy
According to the court ruling, providers are required to give the plaintiffs the details of their customers, who appear to have engaged in illegal movie downloading.
Judged for prosecuting film piracy, the federal court of Sydney was created, which tried the lawsuit of the producers of the film «Dallas Buyers Club» against six internet service providers (iiNet, Dodo, Internode, Amnet Broadband, Adam Internet and Wideband).
According to the court ruling, these companies are required to provide the plaintiffs with the details of their customers, who appear to have engaged in illegal downloading of the film.
This is the first time court has ordered internet service providers to hand over the details of thousands of their users who were found to be illegally downloading the Oscar-winning film "Dallas Buyers Club" starring Matthew McConaughey.
The rights holders of the film won the court battle for access to the data of the 4.726 people who shared the film with the aim of preventing a similar online piracy case in the future.
The lawyer for the copyright holder of the film "Dallas Buyers Club" stated that the decision by this court is a very important first step in combating online piracy.
«I will allow internet service providers to disclose the names and addresses of their customers that are linked to their files with each of the 4,726 email addresses of the case» said the court president, Nye Perram, announcing his decision, which is described as historically significant for the protection of the intellectual property rights of creators of audiovisual works, but also causing concern among citizens about whether they are protected by internet service providers.
Doubts, moreover, are expressed about the propriety of the prosecution, especially due to the fact that no corresponding lawsuit has been filed against the large providers such as Telstra or Optus, which provide their customers with legal access to movies.
The decision of the Sydney court may open the way for more prosecutions, as it is estimated that producers of other movies will follow the same path, with thousands of lawsuits being filed against users who engage in illegal downloading of audiovisual material, seeking damages that could amount to thousands of dollars.
Source: skai.gr
