RapidShare ordered to proactively check user uploads for copyrighted material

[DJ aka GDR DJ]

A higher regional court in Hamburg, Germany has reportedly ordered file-sharing service RapidShare to proactively filter pirated content from its site. The decision echoes those of a number of lower courts, which ruled that the site had not done enough to prevent piracy taking place on its servers. The ruling comes after January's MegaUpload debacle, which saw the popular file-sharing service shut down, along with others of that ilk. However, RapidShare's business model is dramatically different to that of MegaUpload, which offered a financial reward to uploaders of popular files.

 

According to initial reports (a written account of the court's ruling has yet to be released) the site will have to monitor its users files for copyright infringement before they are made available for download on the site. As it would be near-impossible to undertake such a feat manually, it's likely that RapidShare will have to develop a software-based solution to filter content. The content industry has long wanted such a pre-vetting policy to be standard across the internet, forcing sites, rather than copyright owners, to take responsibility for pirated material. At present, video-sharing sites like YouTube merely give copyright owners tools to search for and notify the site of infringing material.

 

TorrentFreak is reporting that the ruling goes against that of the European Court of Justice which last month decreed that Social Networking site Netlog shouldn't be forced to proactively check content as it would violate the privacy of its users. RapidShare lacks Netlog's social elements though, and as such may not be privy to such protection. The site may yet appeal this latest decision however, and the company has recently made changes to try to prevent piracy taking place on its servers.

 

Just last month the company limited the speed of unverified downloads to 30Kbps, forcing uploaders that want to share their files with non-paying users to give up their anonymity to lift the limits. The site argues that most users that are downloading or uploading pirated material prefer not to pay in order to avoid being linked to illegal activity. It remains to be seen if this action will appease the content industry, but it's undoubtably a step in the right direction for a file-sharing site actively seeking legitimacy.

 

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thanks for reading says DJ

[Chuckun]

Byebye Rapidshare. They won't be able to keep up with the amount of uploads they receive.

 

I know they can simple scan archives etc for audio or video files but still, copyrighted content doesn't only mean visual / audible media.

[JoeDirt]

Rapidshare turned down their free access to 30kb per sec. Rapidshare has always had more warez and copyright then any other file sharing site. Funny as Megaupload's traffic was 98 percent legal while only 2 percent was copyrighted stuff. I guess Rapidshare lobbied certain groups in US to be of the hook while Megaupload which distributed a takedown program to these group was shutdown by FBI on behalf of these groups. Oh the irony.

[turkoxp]

At Mu i had the Premium Life... soo i only could use it 1 f*** year T_T! i dont like RS at all... idk... i like MF and MU... MU is death... so now iam more with Wupload

[darkfang77]

What happened to supply creating the demand...?

A lot of people wouldn't have advertised video games by mouth if they never illegally dl-ed them and played them. :/

[JoeDirt]

There are plenty of sites out there that are filling in MU void, they are not as big as MU but they got nice speeds for free users.

[turkoxp]

Media Fire is and was best than MU with the speed for free users... But i can't buy the premium.. only EEUU can buy it T_T