AfterDawn: News

Red Cross caught up in P2P mess

The Recording Industry will soon ask the Red Cross to freeze a trust fund allegedly controlled by the owners of Sharman Networks, an Australian Software company that owns the Kazaa P2P client. The music industry maintains that Sharman, the maker of the Kazaa peer-to-peer software, is owned by several companies through a trust fund registered in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. The Red Cross is the only beneficiary specifically named in the trust, so the recording industry, which is suing Sharman, is asking the organization to voluntarily freeze the fund until a verdict is reached in the Australian Federal Court.

"We’re preparing our approach to the International Red Cross,” says Michael Speck of Australia’s Music Industry Piracy Investigations, which spearheads the prosecution of accused pirates. "I believe this whole thing will come as a complete surprise to them, and we’re only approaching them to stop them disposing of any funds." A lawyer acting in Sharman’s defense, Mary Still said that the approach the recording industry is taking to such a charitable organization is quite staggering. "It would be incredibly disappointing if we had to sue them," said Speck, a comment that should spark controversy.



The Recording Industry is currently in a legal battle with Sharman networks, trying to convince a judge to rule Sharman liable for damages done to the Recording Industries revenue by use of the Kazaa P2P client. If the recording industry get their way and Sharman are found liable, it seems that the Recording Industry will then sue for damages, which could be a sum possibly in hundreds of millions. The court is also interested in whether Sharman could actually control what is swapped on the P2P network, to try to stamp out the illegal sharing.

Source:
Wired

Written by: James Delahunty @ 17 Dec 2004 10:22

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• 11 comments

• Toiletman

  I'm not trying to flame ANYONE here, but I would just like to point out this is going very far into untested territories. Suing Red Cross? If they do that, that's pretty digusting.

  17.12.2004 11:09 #1

• Pop_Smith

  Thats the LAST thing a company should do, sue a perfectly innocent, NON-profit group (or a group that helps people that have been harmed by disasters, natural or man made)
  
  If they sue the Red Cross, then they will get themselves an even less sized fan base (if they have one at all!)

  17.12.2004 11:57 #2

• daemonzx6

  the recording industry is despicable

  17.12.2004 14:51 #3

• Ne007

  I'd rather nail my nads to a table than give these greedy bastards money.

  17.12.2004 19:49 #4

• scott2453

  Just goes to show you how desperate the Recording Industry is becoming. Shame on them for forcing an organization like Red Cross to take sides on an issue like this.

  17.12.2004 21:19 #5

• nato1200

  Hmmm. So they want the money frozen, so when they get a civil jugdement against Sharman, they can take the money in that trsust fund. Wouldn't want to give the red cross a chance to use the funds for humanitarian works before they get a chance to take it to use to pay thier legal bills in suing poor people. Somehow, I'll be the music industry could get the world press to classify all of thier actions as "humanitarian."
  
  And they say giant corporations are the big satan....

  17.12.2004 23:17 #6

• def&blind

  .

  18.12.2004 05:22 #7

• Nephilim

  Absolutely sickening.

  19.12.2004 19:32 #8

• mookapple

  self-righteous basterds!!!

  21.12.2004 16:40 #9

• daemonzx6

  read here:
  http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/5888.cfm

  21.12.2004 17:13 #10

• WarForOil

  Its doesnt really surprise me in the least, those low lifes dont care if hungry babies die, or sick children in war torn countries die because of aid, as long as the green backs fill the pockets of the few..Sadly we allow it to happen, why dont people demonstrate anymore.A few years ago people power won may things most of all our freedom, bit by bit that freedom has been chipped away and we resort to a few words in some forum where it will be read by few...get into the streets demonstrate, boycott and spread the word then perhaps we will turn this globalisation thing on its head and have a fair world economy that benefits all not the chosen few...Peace My Friends

  23.12.2004 14:24 #11