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-------------------------------------------------------------- This story was printed from ZDNet Australia. --------------------------------------------------------------
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Aust unis in court over file-swapping By Staff writers, ZDNet Australia February 19, 2003 URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Aust-unis-in-court-over-file-swapping/0,130061791,120272193,00.htm
Major record companies have instigated a legal battle with Australian universities over students' alleged use of university networks to engage in illegal file swapping. The hearing is taking place in the Federal Court in Sydney between the Sony, EMI and Universal music companies and the Universities of Sydney, Melbourne and Tasmania. The record companies are asking the Federal Court for permission to gather evidence of illegal file swapping from the university networks, claiming the practice costs them many millions of dollars every year. The companies have asked the court to allow their computer experts to scan the computers at Melbourne University for sound files and e-mail accounts so they can gather evidence of alleged widespread copyright violations. The University of Sydney and the University of Tasmania have agreed to preserve the files as evidence, but have refused to hand over the information to the record companies. The University of Melbourne told the Federal Court the present proceedings were punitive and it opposed the action. The hearing has been adjourned until Friday, and the judge refused to impose an interim order for the university to preserve the files until the case was heard again. The record companies have told the court one student had 500 MP3 files, and another had a list of his 15 favourite songs with links to MP3 files of the music.
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