Three operators of a Taiwan website offering MP3 music downloads have been jailed for two to three years each for copyright infringement, and one user received a lesser term, court officials said on Friday.
The executives of Kuro — Taiwan’s largest music file-swapping internet site — were also each fined three million Taiwan dollars ($91Â 600), said Liu Shou-sun, a spokesperson for Taipei district court.
“Kuro has violated copyright law in offering its members programs to download MP3 music,” said Liu.
Chen Shou-teng, the president of Kuro, received a two-year jail sentence, while chief executive officer Chen Kuo-hua and general manager Chen Kuo-hsiung each were handed a three-year jail term, Liu said.
A Kuro member who had downloaded more than 900 songs was sentenced to four months’ jail with a three-year probation period, he said.
The ruling, Taiwan’s first crimial verdict for illegal MP3 music downloads, came days after file-swapping site Kazaa lost a similar case in Australia.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) Taiwan — which filed the copyright infringement suit on behalf of several local music companies — immediately hailed the ruling.
“We have warned Kuro to stop its invasion of copyright and urged all Kuro members to stop using its services,” said a spokesperson for IFPI Taiwan.
Kuro said it would appeal the case.
“We wanted to cooperate with the record industry, but we were denied,” said Chen Kuo-hua, the CEO. – AFP