Drew Wilson
October 14th, 2009, 02:21 PM
A Japanese high court acquitted the developer of a free file-sharing software on Thursday in a high profile case over copyright law, a court official said.
The high court reversed a 2006 ruling by a lower court that imposed a fine of 1.5 million yen ($17,000) on Isamu Kaneko, 39, said the court official, who declined to be named, citing department policy.
"Today's ruling helps not only myself but also other computer engineers in pursuing the development of computer technology," Kaneko told at a news conference at the court in Osaka, western Japan.
Kaneko's program, Winny, allows users to trade files without revealing their Internet Protocol addresses _ the online equivalent of a phone number. Digital content providers say the software infringes on their copyright by giving users access to their material for free.
Kaneko, a former instructor at the prestigious University of Tokyo, was arrested in 2004. He became the first file-sharing software developer arrested in Japan.
More... (http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1077235&lang=eng_news)
Even though Winny is effectively the Kazaa of Asian filesharing, it's still excellent news nevertheless.
...in other news, innovators are now choosing Japan as the country to innovate in.
The high court reversed a 2006 ruling by a lower court that imposed a fine of 1.5 million yen ($17,000) on Isamu Kaneko, 39, said the court official, who declined to be named, citing department policy.
"Today's ruling helps not only myself but also other computer engineers in pursuing the development of computer technology," Kaneko told at a news conference at the court in Osaka, western Japan.
Kaneko's program, Winny, allows users to trade files without revealing their Internet Protocol addresses _ the online equivalent of a phone number. Digital content providers say the software infringes on their copyright by giving users access to their material for free.
Kaneko, a former instructor at the prestigious University of Tokyo, was arrested in 2004. He became the first file-sharing software developer arrested in Japan.
More... (http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1077235&lang=eng_news)
Even though Winny is effectively the Kazaa of Asian filesharing, it's still excellent news nevertheless.
...in other news, innovators are now choosing Japan as the country to innovate in.