British Internet Café Pays ₤180,000 for Copyright Infringement

The UK based EasyInternet Café (the "Café") chain has paid the British Phonograph Industry ("BPI") ₤180,000 in damages and fees to settle a court battle over copyright infringement. The issue arose out of a music downloading service offered by the EasyInternet Café chain. For a fee of ₤5, the Café chain allowed customers to download music from the Internet and copy it onto a CD. In an attempt to stop this copying, the BPI brought an action against the Café chain to force it to stop allowing customers to download copyright-protected materials. The Café argued that consumers had the right to record music or video in order to enjoy it at a more convenient time. The downloading of the music and saving on CD was similar to recording a program for later viewing on a VCR. A High Court judge rejected this argument and found the Café guilty of copyright infringement. Although the Café had originally planned to appeal the decision, the parties instead reached this settlement agreement. For additional information, visit: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=2535394 Summary by: Sue Diaz