As an apparent deadline for the addition of copyright filtering technology came and went yesterday without such a change apparently being made, Kazaa owner Sharman Networks was forced to stop distributing its software to local users.
Anyone accessing the Kazaa website was told: “To comply with the orders of the Federal Court… use of the Kazaa Media Desktop is not permitted by persons in Australia. If you are in Australia, you must not download or use the Kazaa Media Desktop.”
The 5 December deadline was much touted by the Australian music industry, but it remains open to interpretation as to whether Sydney-based Federal Court Judge Murray Wilcox meant that Sharman must implement anti-infringement filtering technology by that date or risk being shut down.
