Battleangel

The RIAA is sure getting some nasty gifts in their stocking this year. It only serves them right after all. They should have seen it coming and stopped with their mafioso methods before it struck back at them.

Wired: Dutch Court Throws Out Kazaa Case
“The makers of Kazaa, the world’s most popular computer file-sharing program, cannot be held liable for copyright infringement of music or movies swapped on its free software, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled Friday.”

Wired: Song Swappers Win a Big One
“A federal appeals court ruled Friday the recording industry can’t force Internet providers to identify subscribers swapping music online, dramatically setting back the industry’s anti-piracy campaign.”

While both rulings can be considered minor and localized they bring hope to people who for the longest time had none. Given this turn of events it is unlikely that the European copyright laws that are yet to see the light of day, will mean a goddamn thing. For better or for worse, the US has become a twisted role model for the rest of the world. Effectively, if you can’t force a favorable ruling in the US there is no scum sucking lawyer alive that would dream of trying it in a place like say Sweden for example.
As for the dutch court ruling, everything seems to be legal down there I think the rest of the EU could learn a lesson here. Despite the way they view copyright, drugs and prostitution, they are doing quite well. The ethic scarecrows can say what they will.