Mobile/PDA About Us Advertise here


		User name	Password

		Not registered yet? Register here. Lost your password? Click here.

Browse by topic

News

RIAA sued by P2P company for alleged patent infringement

8 September 2004 20:39 by James "Dela" Delahunty | 8 comments

Altnet is a company that sells digital goods thought P2P filesharing networks. On Wednesday, Altnet sued the Recording Industry Association of America over alleged Patent Infringement. The company is accusing the RIAA of infringing one of its patents while attempting to enforce copyright laws inside P2P networks. More companies including Overpeer, owned by Loudeye and MediaDefender were named in the suit. "We've exhausted every means of trying to work with these defendants and those they represent to patiently encourage and positively develop the P2P distribution channel," said Altnet Chief Executive Officer Kevin Bermeister in a statement. "We cannot stand by and allow them to erode our business opportunity by the wholesale infringement of our rights."

Altnet and Brilliant Digital Entertainment are joint venture partners with Sharman Networks, the company that owns the P2P network KaZaa. For several years, Altnet have been trying to convince record labels and studios to allow them to sell their works through the KaZaa network. Of course the labels have unanimously said no to this request. In 2003, Altnet announced they have purchased patent rights to the process of identifying files on a peer-to-peer network using a "hash" code. Lat November, Altnet sent nine cease and desist letters to companies engaged in businesses related to peer-to-peer networks.

One of the companies that received a letter from Altnet was BigChampagne. However, BigChampagne have denied that they use any technology that infringes any of Altnets patents.

Source:
News.com

Permalink to this article

Altnet reaches settlement with Loudeye and Overpeer (16 May 2006)

Open source leaders slam software patents (3 February 2005)

RIAA loses another case (5 January 2005)

Red Cross caught up in P2P mess (17 December 2004)

RIAA sues 754 more people (17 December 2004)

Kazaa 3.0 includes Skype (23 November 2004)

RIAA sues another 761 P2P users (18 November 2004)

Downhill Battle takes aim at anti-p2p school curriculums (17 November 2004)

RIAA sues another 750 P2P users (28 October 2004)

P2P use growing despite RIAA claims (23 October 2004)

Supreme Court rejects RIAA appeal (12 October 2004)

Morpheus to use new P2P technology (6 October 2004)

U.S. judge ignores bootleg law (26 September 2004)

Universal music group boss can't wait to sue british file-sharers (23 September 2004)

P2P networks threatened by new software LogP2P? (22 September 2004)

Schwarzenegger deals serious blow to California file-sharers (22 September 2004)

P2P filesharing on mobile phones? (16 September 2004)

Grouper, a different form of P2P (13 September 2004)

RIAA sues another 744 people (25 August 2004)

RIAA keeps the lawyers well fed (4 August 2004)

iMesh makes a deal with the RIAA (21 July 2004)

P2P lawsuits filed in France (29 June 2004)

RIAA sues yet another 482 P2P users (22 June 2004)

RIAA's new target: digital radio (13 June 2004)

RIAA sues yet another 493 P2P users (24 May 2004)

RIAA wont offer amnesty anymore (20 April 2004)

RIAA sues over 500 more individuals (24 March 2004)

RIAA sued under organized crime legislation (18 February 2004)

RIAA sues more P2P users (17 February 2004)

ISPs reluctant to co-operate with RIAA (16 January 2004)

Appeals court: RIAA can't get subscriber info without suing them (22 December 2003)

RIAA sues yet another 41 P2P users (3 December 2003)

« Previous news article
New software records unprotected music files from restricted files

Next news article »
Real to stop its half price music sales

Post your comment

Discuss this article!
Toiletman (Senior Member) 9 September 2004 12:11
RIAA finally getting a taste of their own medicine? =D I think Altnet's approach in using P2P to "BENEFIT" the community and the artists by selling products online is very sensible. At least they're not trying to fight the technology, which is near impossible. You got to evolve and adapt to technology, and utilize it to your benefits. You can't fight something which dominates you. Think of it as this way, America's black out: A lot of Canadians and Amercians were helpless. HELPLESS! Just because the technology shut down! If you try and fight technology and manage to win, you're only damaging the people you want to protect. At least, that's how I see it... [ + quote]
signal (Junior Member) 9 September 2004 19:50
im intrested to see where this goes. it is a legal buisness, so that would be a problem. I would think that the RIAA would leave the legal stuff alone and only attack the illegal stuff. this will be intresting... [ + quote]
strcruzer (Junior Member) 10 September 2004 11:58
THis goes back to the fact that the RIAA doesn't want P2P because it cuts them out, actually side steps their way of doing business and empowers the artist to market directly to the masses. I agree with Tolietman that the RIAA is finally gonna get a good taste of their own medicine and I bet they are not going to like it. I'm sure they will try to get their spin doctors on this one as well. [ + quote]
Coughdawg (Newbie) 10 September 2004 14:13
It's karma what goes around comes around. If the RIAA is gonna be sue crazy to set examples then there gonna have to face retaliation. If the industry didn't charge so much for music and movies i mean realy 13 or 15 dollars for a cd that you only like 1 or 2 songs from and 20 to 25 dollars for a dvd give me a break if they offer them at more resonable prices people wouldn't sell them as much. [ + quote]
Coughdawg (Newbie) 10 September 2004 14:14
Mistake in last post sell = steal [ + quote]
vudoo (Member) 12 September 2004 16:07
Well this could help to shut down the RIAA. If Altnet wins they could continue the fight afterwards and charge the RIAA for Anti Trust. Then after that they can charge them again for Embezzlement. One charge at a time till these goons are gone for good. It does not take a genius to tell that this is the case when every paid music service charges the exact same amount. So time to stop the gangsters in their tracks. [ + quote]
fusionz (Inactive) 29 September 2004 23:37
so RIAA finally will taste it's own sh*t???:) [ + quote]
vudoo (Member) 30 September 2004 10:35
Lets hope so. And let the children or the future learn how greed will conquer you rather you are a person who believes in Metaphysics or not. [ + quote]