Jari Ketola
26 Jul 2003 13:09
German court decided on Friday to postpone the lawsuit against the record label Bertelsmann. The decision was made because the Federal Constitutional Court was worried the lawsuit might violate Bertelsmann's constitutional rights in Germany.
"If lawsuits in (foreign) courts are obviously misused to bend a market player to one's will by way of media pressure and the risk of a court order, this could violate the German constitution," the court said in a statement late on Friday.
Bertelsmann was sued by major music labels for $17 billion for funding Napster's operation in 2000 and 2001. According to the lawsuit Bertelsmann kept Napster running by investing more than $100 million in the company, and hence prolonged it's existence.
The tempoary ruling will be upheld untill the court can review the case more closely and determine whether or not constitutional rights are in fact in jeopardy. The decision means only that the lawsuit could possibly not be delivered in Germany. Bertelsmann has also been sued in the US.
Source:
Reuters