ECJ Ruling Protects the Privacy of Suspected IP Pirates

Telefónica de España SAU (Telefónica), an ISP, refused to disclose personal information identifying suspected infringers of intellectual property to Productores de Música de España (Promusicae), a music rights holders organization. Promusicae obtained an order from the Spanish Court requiring Telefónica to disclose the identities and addresses of Internet subscribers using the KaZaA peer-to-peer file exchange program to share unauthorized musical and audiovisual recordings. Telefónica appealed the order, asserting that Spanish law permitted such disclosures for the purposes of criminal investigations or for safeguarding public security and national defence. The Spanish court sought instruction from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) whether European Community law obligated member states to require ISPs to disclose personal information of suspected infringers in the context of civil proceedings for the effective protection of copyright. The ECJ held that under European Community law, governments can, but are not obligated to communicate personal information in civil proceedings for the protection of copyright. The ECJ emphasized the importance of balancing the right to personal privacy with the right to protect property. For further information, see: http://tinyurl.com/2wag69; and http://www.itworld.com/Man/2683/file-sharing-music-industry-080129/ For the full-text reasons in Productores de Música de España (Promusicae) v Telefónica de España SAU, visit: http://tinyurl.com/2ds7be For the text of an ECJ news release on the topic, see: http://curia.europa.eu/en/actu/communiques/cp08/aff/cp080005en.pdf Summary by: Lauren Lodenquai