Yahoo! China Guilty Of Aiding Music Piracy
The Chinese version of Yahoo! was ordered by a court to pay $27,000 for aiding music piracy. The lawsuit filed by the International Federation of Phonographic Industries accused Yahoo China of violating copyrights because its search engine linked to sites that carried 229 pirated songs. It was filed on behalf of 11 recording companies including Sony BMG, Warner Music, EMI and Universal Vivendi. Yahoo China is operated by Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo’s local partner, Alibaba.com, China’s biggest online commerce site. The ruling came amid U.S. pressure for Beijing to stop rampant copying of music and other goods.
The ruling Monday by the No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court ordered Yahoo China to pay 210,000 yuan ($27,000) in damages, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Court employees declined to confirm the report or release any other information. Leong said she did not know the exact damages awarded but said they appeared to be well below the 5.5 million yuan ($700,000) sought. Yahoo China said it would appeal and stressed its respect for intellectual property rights.
