Canadian judge says swapping songs online is legal

0 Comments | USA TODAY, April, 2004 | by Jefferson Graham

Internet file-sharing is legal, a Canadian judge ruled Wednesday, a potentially big setback for the music industry.

Record labels have been suing customers globally in a bid to stem the tide of online piracy. The Recording Industry Association of America has filed copyright infringement lawsuits against nearly 2,000 song swappers since September. Tuesday, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) began legal action against 247 individuals in Germany, Italy, Denmark and Canada.

The IFPI says sales are down 20% over a three-year period. It blames unauthorized downloading from services such as Kazaa and Morpheus.

While two courts -- in Denmark and the USA -- ruled in favor of file-sharing services in the past, Canadian Judge Konrad von...

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