The operators of the Kazaa file-sharing software have settled their case with the National Music Publishing Association for an undisclosed sum. This will conclude action against them, since this settles the issue of contributing to copyright infringement in the past and their current use of filtering software to stop the sharing or protected content.
This leaves LimeWire as the one file sharing service still up. Unlike any of the other services, they are planning a vigorous defense instead of settling. I don’t know what the odds are that they can win, but I hope they can prevail. I am not necessarily for swapping copyrighted music, but I think the music industry needs a new plan. I think a peer to peer software company should not be liable for its user’s activity any more than I think the developer of FTP Server software should be. The MG Studios vs. Grokster case decided by the Supreme Court in favor of the plaintiffs must be more of that “activist judiciary” I hear so much about.
