C/Net.com - Overseas Groups Battle their own net Piracy (Aug. 23/01)
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Overseas groups battle ther own net piracy
By John Borland August 23, 2001
At the height of Napster's court battles, some committed
file swappers had an idea: We'll set up shop overseas, outside the reach of
U.S. courts and copyright organizations.
That vision is beginning to take shape, as international versions of Napster
spring up around the world. But they're already meeting their own legal resistance--led
in many areas by the International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI),
an organization that is slowly gaining new prominence in the industry's global
fight to quash Net piracy.
IFPI is an umbrella group that oversees record companies' interests
around the world, an international counterpart to the Recording Industry Association
of America. Until recently, U.S. residents had little or no reason even to have
heard of the group, as most of its actions take place outside U.S. borders.
But as the copyright industry's fight against Internet piracy
turns increasingly global, this international organization's role is spreading
to touch even U.S. consumers. It is responsible for popularizing tools that
track down pirated music online. It also is advising record companies around
the world on copy-protecting CDs and even has its own patents on a technique
for doing so.
Although the IFPI hasn't filed lawsuits against file-swapping
companies, it has tools that track down file swappers and Web pirates through
their Internet service providers, an increasingly common technique that is sending
some shivers of concern through the ISP community. The group says it hasn't
needed to learn the courtroom language that has punctuated the American market,
but it sees the potential for such action.
"Legal action is a possibility, but one of last resort,"
said Fiona Harley, an IFPI spokeswoman. "We would rather create a situation
where people have a legitimate alternative."
