France and Ireland differ on music downloaders

French authorities released an accused illegal music downloader while the Irish High Court ordered a number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to release the names of several individuals engaged in file uploading.

In France, an Internet user defended by the Association of Audionautes (ADA) was released free of charges by the District Court of Paris after downloading and uploading music and movies on the Internet.

The ADA states that several Internet users they defended have been released free of charges for having downloaded copyrighted content on Internet on the basis of the "private copying" doctrine.

According to Jean-Baptiste Soufron, Legal Counsel of the ADA, "This most recent decision is consistent with the definitive decision of the French Appellate Court of Montpellier. It is an important stepping stone in our fight to legalize P2P." The ADA reports that France was the first country in the world to propose the legalization of P2P downloading.

Meanwhile in Ireland, the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA), lauded the decision of the High Court in Dublin to oblige a number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to release the names of a further 49 individuals engaged in serial file uploading of music on the internet.

IRMA reports that Judge Peter Kelly described the actions of the individuals as "tantamount to stealing - not on a minor scale but on a grand scale". He also informed IRMA that a court order allowed IRMA, at their discretion, not only to pursue these 49 cases for civil damages but also to pass the names on to the Authorities for criminal prosecutions.

Speaking after the decision, Dick Doyle, Director General of IRMA commented: "We will contact the 49 individuals or firms and offer them the opportunity to settle the action. If they refuse, we will be forced to pursue the matter through the Courts. We hope that, along with our consistent information drives, these litigations will lead to parents of teenagers and others discussing illegal file-sharing and ensuring that it does not affect their household or office".

Back in the US, the RIAA continues to bring legal actions against downloaders and the original music bandit "Napster" is embracing legalized digital music and recently reported that it has grown its subscriber service 110% in the past year while boasting a 500,000+ subscriber bse.