Google Absolved in File Sharing Issue

[DaBees-Knees]

http://www.p2pon.com/

A year ago Russia’s leading web firms, including Google and Vkontakte, wrote an open letter to the entertainment industries telling them to lay off the accusations regarding file-sharing committed by their users. Now Russia’s Communications Minister has announced that web companies will have their way, with actual infringers taking responsibility for their own actions.

This increased pressure of the entertainment industries originates from the country’s biggest web companies like Google, Mail.Ru, Vkontakte (a social networking website – also named by the RIAA as one of the world’s most notorious “pirate markets” for illicit music) and search engines such as Yandex and Rambler.

The five companies wrote an open letter in which they explained the impossibility of monitoring millions of users to ensure the legality of their actions. Moreover, it’s the actual infringers that should be held accountable for their copyright breaches, the companies added.

Press Minister Igor Shchyogolev believes that web giants will have their way; as for the users, they will be held accountable for infringement issues. He also reminded that web companies will not be completely absolved. Instead, they should be responsible and ask for advice from copyright holders regarding the content stored on their servers so that unauthorized sharing can be avoided.

What the entertainment industries and service providers are trying to influence is the bill being drafted by Russia’s communications ministry. The bill will regulate intellectual property rights disputes on the internet which are often regarded as operating in a legislative vacuum.

However, Irina Tulubyeva (IP lawyer and head of the Russian Organization for Intellectual Property Rights) said: “It is not up to the communications ministry to regulate intellectual property rights”. She believes that while protecting service providers, the law will damage the interests of rights holders and push the average internet user in front, while web companies continue to make money from adverts. “With this new law, piracy will reign”.

 Nothing short of letting the entertainment industry write it's own laws will keep it happy it would seem.