Kazaa Working to Filter Music Files
Kazaa worked feverishly Monday to comply with a court order that mandated the use of filters to prevent sharing of copyrighted material across its network. The company has until December 5 to install a system that uses keywords, such as the name of an artist, to filter out copyrighted music files.
Federal Judge Murray Wilcox mandated the changes as part of his decision against Sharman in September. At that time, the company was found guilty of copyright infringement because it Sharman did little, if anything, to stop the trade of copyrighted material over its network.
In exchange for this action, Kazaa's owner Sharman Networks will have the chance to appeal the case in late February. Sharman executives are also facing heat from the Australian court, which believes company CEO Nikki Hemming may be hiding the profits she received from Kazaa.
Other than the keyword filter, which would block searches including those terms, Wilcox said Sharman would additionally need to encourage its users to download the updated version of the software through pop-up notices within Kazaa.
Australian music officials say if the company does not comply by the December 5 deadline, the service would be shut down. However, the software is used worldwide and users of older versions would be unaffected.
"Kazaa has received its final warning," IFPI Chairman and CEO John Kennedy said on Thursday. "It is time for services like Kazaa to move on - to filter, go legal or make way for others who are trying to build a digital music business the correct and legal way."
However, the head of a P2P interest group fired back at the IFPI, saying the industry was stonewalling attempts by operators to go legal.
"It is time finally to put to an end to the cynical cycle of refusal by your members to license P2P companies, followed by the prosecution of these same companies by your members for not having such licenses," CEO of the Distributed Computing Industry Association responded in a public letter to Kennedy.
"We look forward to being able to show you legal P2P business models that can take digital music sales to the next level," he continued. "The only thing currently missing is license agreements."