Italy Closes First P2P Case

On the heels of the first US trial victory involving illegal downloads over a peer-to-peer network, the Italian fiscal police Guardia di Finanza have handed out that country's first fines to seven principal uploaders participating in a file sharing network called Discotequezone. The fines, which total about US $12.1 million, will be discounted 60% under Italian law if the uploaders pay within 60 days. Regardless, all seven face criminal trials.

The charges are the culmination of a long-term investigation that took place in the northern Italian city of Bergamo. The investigation was conducted in conjunction with the authorities in nearby Brescia. In the end, five servers and two websites offering illegal access to music, movies, and software were closed down.

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