A judge in Spain has dismissed a copyright infringement case, saying that the practice of trading songs over the Internet does not constitute a crime. In his ruling, Judge Paz Aldecoa said that sharing files online is a “socially accepted and widely practiced behavior” intended merely “to obtain copies for private use.” Because the man in the case had not sought to make money from his activities, said Aldecoa, he could not be found guilty of any crime. The prosecutor in the case had sought a two-year sentence for the man. An organization that represents the Spanish music industry rejected the judge’s decision, saying that downloading copyrighted material is indeed illegal and that it would appeal the ruling. Justice Minister Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar noted that although the law does include some gray areas for personal use of such material, the legal system must also protect the rights of artists.
Houston Chronicle, 2 November 2006
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4306186.html
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