Canada Appeals Court Gives File-Sharers a Victory

TORONTO — A Canadian appeals court has upheld a decision not to force Internet service providers to reveal the identities of 29 file-swappers sued by the Canadian record industry.

Last week’s decision is a victory for Canada’s file-sharers who distribute and download copyrighted works over P2P services such as Kazaa.

The Canadian Federal Court of Appeal on Thursday said Canadian Recording Industry Association had not provided sufficient evidence against the alleged file-sharers.

“This is a landmark privacy decision that affects all Canadians,” said Philippa Lawson, the executive director of the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic. "The court has reaffirmed the importance of online privacy and confirmed that those seeking to sue Internet users cannot uncover the anonymity of their targets on the basis of mere allegations.”

The record industry filed suit in February last year, hoping to follow in the wake of the U.S. music industry in targeting high volume file-sharers.

In the United States, the recording industry uses software to digitally identify a user who is offering to distribute copyrighted files, and then serves a subpoena on the user’s ISP, requesting the name and address of the individual whose account was being used to distribute copyrighted music.

The CRIA adopted the same method but last year a federal court refused to grant subpoenas, arguing that the industry had not put forward sufficiently persuasive evidence to overturn the privacy concerns of the case.

The CRIA appealed but lost the case Thursday when the court ruled that the evidence provided by the CRIA was insufficient.

“It is sufficient if they show a bona fide claim,” the court said in the ruling. But it warned, “caution must be exercised by the courts in ordering such disclosure, to make sure that privacy rights are invaded in the most minimal way.”

With the ruling, the Canadian record industry group vowed to go back to the drawing board in its attempt to target file-sharers through the courts.

“The court has clearly articulated the evidentiary standards that we need to meet and we are satisfied that we can meet those standards in future applications. Large-scale music swappers should know that they can and will be held accountable," CRIA President Graham Henderson said.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Whisper Fans Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Whisper Fans has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Utherverse Launches 'Red Light Center' Virtual World

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse has launched its new virtual world, RedLightCenter.io.

European Commission Approves AV Guidelines, Unveils Prototype App

The European Commission on Monday released its final, approved guidelines for protecting minors online under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and made public a “white label” age verification app intended to help sites and platforms comply with age verification rules under the DSA.

New Membership Site 'Sluts Corner' Launches

R18 Entertainment has launched a new membership site, SlutsCorner.com.

Show More