QuebecTorrent Shutdown by Canadian Entertainment Industry

Scores hollow blow against the BitTorrent tracker site after the site’s owner agrees to close it down due to lack of financial resources to fight copyright infringement claims in court.

The Canadian entertainment industry managed to shutdown BitTorrent tracker site Quebec Torrents late last week. ADISQ, which represents music artists, APFTQ, which represents a “majority of independent film and TV production companies in Quebec,” and the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) had filed suit against the site for copyright infringement and had asked Quebec Superior Court Justice Pierre Tessier to impose a permanent injunction until it resolves the claims.



Site owner Sébastien Brûlotte of St. Jérôme decided that the with limited financial resources available to argue his case in court as well as time to mount a proper defense, to instead agree to permanently shutdown the site. The judge in the case then formally imposed a judgement that ordered its immediate shutdown. He also ordered that anyone involved in the site must never again be involved in any website that uses BitTorrent, “P2P, or any other technology allowing the download of any work protected by copyright.”



From the website:

The torrents on this website has been closed as per judgment by the Superior Court of Quebec rendered on July 9, 2008 stating:

ORDER the defendants Sébastien Brûlotte and Quebectorrent.com inc., their officers, administrators, employees, representatives, mandator as well as any person acting directly or indirectly on their behalf or according to their instructions, as well as to any person informed of the present injunction to immediately close the torrents on these
website Quebectorrent and to refrain from being involved in any website using the bittorrent technology, peer to peer, or any other technology allowing the download of any work protected by copyright.

Copyright holders wasted no time in expressing their glee over the order.



“The closure of this section of the site Quebec Torrent gives a clear signal to other sites of its kind and the Internet that the exchange of protected P2P files is illegal in Canada,” reads a group statement by the entertainment industry plaintiffs.



Considering that Brulotte acquiesced due to financial rather than legal shortcomings the case really lacks much depth in terms of dissuading others to refrain from operating BitTorrent tracker sites so long as they have the time and money he sorely lacked.

“We are very happy with this judgment which recognizes the need to protect beneficiaries against any unauthorized exploitation of works and recordings on the Internet by sites to exchange illegal P2P,” said Solange Drouin, vice-president of public affairs and CEO of ADISQ (GOOGLE TRANSLATION). “This decision allows us to defend the legitimate interests of our members and all beneficiaries concerned, in respect of copyright and contracts signed between producers and artists in the sector ‘s Audiovisual “said Claire Samson, president and CEO of the APFTQ.

Ultimately he felt that he was on the side of artists at the detriment of big media conglomerates who earn a lion’s share of the profit from their works.



“I see myself as someone fighting against a failing system,” he said. “I am not doing this to harm the little artists. It’s just that I find the big machines behind them are making too much profit.”



He’s certainly right there. Take, for example, the fact that it’s already been reported that music artists get a measly 13 cents from each track sold on Apple’s iTunes, and many are convinced that the actual figure is much lower. With it now being the largest retailer of music in many parts if the world it really should give pause to those who claim to be on the side of musicians and others in the entertainment industry.