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Links to peer-to-peer file sharing network illegal?

A judge in Madrid has ordered the site DonkeyMania.com to be shut down by Tuesday, the 5th of August 2003. The site did not contain any downloadable files itself, only links to peer-to-peer file sharing networks. The links allowed users to download copyright protected files.

 

The creators of the page defended themselves, arguing that they did not distribute audio-visial works, but simply organized information. It were the users that feed the online forum with commentaries and links. They further said that they were not contacted prior to the procedure. Nobody told them that some of the connected pages or files were illicit. Spanish news source Kriptópolis spoke of an attack against the freedom of expression in Spain. Javier Maestre, the lawyer for the defense, said:"...It's the first time in Spain that the closing of a web page has been ordered based on the links it contains. It's surprising that they've declared the complete closure of a site for this motive, when the files and linked pages have not been declared illegal." 

 

  • August 5, 2003: Rötzer, Florian, Spanische Forumswebsite geschlossen, Telepolis:
    "Wegen eines Links auf eine Download-Möglichkeit für eine urheberrechtlich geschützte Datei im Beitrag eines Forumsteilnehmers ordnete eine spanische Richterin die Schließung von Donkeymania an."

  •  August 4, 2003: Una juez de Madrid ordena el cierre de un sitio que proporcionaba enlaces a contenidos P2P, Libertad Digital:
    "Tras un final de julio protagonizado por la anunciada y no presentada demanda contra miles de usuarios de redes de pares, agosto comienza con una orden judicial de cierre cautelar de un site que contiene enlaces a sitios que permiten descargar archivos mediante programas de P2P."     

  • August 4, 2003:  Una juez ordena el cierre de un sitio español que da enlaces a contenidos P2P, El Mundo:
    "Las batallas legales contra las redes P2P en España han generado una víctima, la página Donkeymania.com, cuya clausura cautelar fue dictada el viernes por la juez Carmen Sánchez-Albornoz Bernabé, titular del juzgado de instrucción número 3 de Madrid."

  • August 2,  Un juez español ordena el primer cierre de un sitio web de P2P, IBLNews:      
    "Primera página web dedicada al P2P (Peer-to-peer, o intercambio de archivos) que se cierra en España, consumándose la amenaza de una demanda colectiva contra miles de usuarios, que pendía desde mediados de julio y adelantándose al plazo previsto de septiembre."

 

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