Abstract
The future of peer-to-peer file-sharing and related technologies is entwined, for better or worse, with copyright law. This paper aims to present a layperson’s introduction to the copyright law principles most pertinent to peer-to-peer developers, including contributory and vicarious liability principles and potential legal defenses. After describing the current shape of the law, the paper concludes with twelve specific strategies that peer-to-peer developers can undertake to reduce their copyright vulnerabilities.
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References
A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc., 239 F.3d 1004 (9th Cir. 2001)
A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc., 2000 WL 573136 (N.D. Cal. May 12, 2000) (ruling on DMCA 512 safe harbor)
In re Aimster Copyright Litigation, 2002 WL 31006142 (N.D. Ill. September 4, 2002) (granting preliminary injunction against Aimster)
MGM v. Grokster (Kazaa/Morpheus/Grokster) summary judgment briefs: http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/MGM_v_Grokster/
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© 2003 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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von Lohmann, F. (2003). Peer-to-Peer File Sharing and Copyright Law: A Primer for Developers. In: Kaashoek, M.F., Stoica, I. (eds) Peer-to-Peer Systems II. IPTPS 2003. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2735. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-45172-3_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-45172-3_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-40724-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-45172-3
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