Jari Ketola
24 Jan 2003 6:26
Frank Bruvik, a Norwegian student from the city of Lillehammer, was found quilty of online piracy on Wednesday. Bruvik had developed a Web service that allowed visitors to download copyrighted music files simply by clicking links on his page Napster.no.
"This was the most high-profile piracy site in Norway for downloading music and an important victory for us," Saemund Fiskvik, director general of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in Norway, told Reuters.
Bruvik was sued by IFPI, the Nordic Copyright Bureau, Norway's TONO performing rights society, and record labels, such as EMI, BMG, and Sony Music.
The fine ordered by the court was 100,000 Norwegian crowns (about $14,520). The original claim was five times larger than that.
"The ruling said it is illegal to distribute the links, but that it's legal to use them. That is a victory for all Internet users in Norway," said Bruvik's lawyer Stray Vyrje.
Bruvik will probably appeal the ruling.
Source:
Reuters