GristyMcFisty used our news submit to tell us
that, under Asia's latest legal actions against online unauthorised
distribution of copyrighted music, one of Asia's largest unlicensed online
music peer-to-peer services is facing criminal charges. The P2P service called Kuro has 30,000
users online at any time, sharing more than 5 million music files.
The subscription service was launched two years ago and claims to
have half a million paying customers. Problem is, nobody in the creative chain
is compensated, only the service itself makes money:
 At a press conference in Taipei today, IFPI Taiwan applauded the
decision by the Taipei District Public Prosecutors' Office for sending a
strong signal to Kuro and similar services in the country that their
activities are illegal, and that there are legal consequences.
The
prosecutor's office filed charges under the Copyright Law on December 4
against Kuro's management team. Separate charges have been brought against
a number of subscribers to the service.
IFPI Taiwan marked the
announcement of the indictment by asking that Kuro cease its operations
immediately.
IFPI Taiwan filed a criminal complaint
with the criminal prosecutor earlier in the year, alleging that Kuro was
knowingly aiding and abetting copyright infringement, for profit.
At the press conference, IFPI Taiwan called on users of the
service to cease their membership of the network, ask for their
subscription costs back from the P2P operators and immediately cease their
illegal music swapping activities. The organisation reminded users that
just because they pay for the P2P service does not mean they are allowed
to steal copyrighted material.
IFPI Chairman and CEO Jay Berman
said: "This indictment is fully consistent with court decisions in other
countries including the US, Japan and Korea, that have held similar P2P
services liable for copyright infringement. People need to understand that
legal action can and will be taken against those who distribute
copyrighted work without the permission of the creators. Everyone involved
in the cycle of music creation is being adversely affected by this illegal
activity, and it is having a devastating effect on the ability of the
industry to invest and sustain the careers of new artists."
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Source: Mi2N
