Kazaa has reached a tentative settlement in the last of three major lawsuits against it. In the agreement with the National Music Publishers’ Association, Kazaa agreed to pay music publishers and songwriters a “substantial sum,” the association said, reported to be about $10 million.
Kazaa also agreed to continue using filtering software intended to prevent unauthorized exchange of copyrighted songs over its network.
The music and motion picture industries sued Kazaa, as well as the rival file-sharing networks Grokster and Morpheus, in 2001, claiming that they facilitated the illegal distribution of copyrighted material.
Kazaa, which is operated by Sharman Networks in Australia, settled separate lawsuits by recording artists and motion picture studios in July, agreeing to pay a total of $115 million. That left one major case from 2001 still unresolved, the one filed by the association, which represents songwriters and their publishers.
“The anticipated settlement represents an important victory for songwriters, music publishers and music fans alike,” said David Israelite, the publishers’ association president and chief executive, in a written statement today. “It will be another key milestone in the ongoing transformation of the digital music marketplace to one that will allow legal services to thrive.”
via New York Times
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