CIPPIC wins status in file-sharing case
The Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) has been granted intervenor status in the record labels’ appeal of last March’s unsuccessful suit against Internet service providers (CNM, April 16/04). The labels had sought the identity of 29 people they accuse of being music pirates from ISPs, but Federal Court of Canada judge Konrad von Finckenstein ruled that they didn’t make a strong enough case to warrant forcing ISPs to divulge subscriber information. CIPPIC’s status will be important in the upcoming appeal. Von Finckenstein went to great lengths in his original decision to discuss the legality of file-sharing, one of the hooks upon which the Canadian Recording Industry Association is hanging its appeal. ISPs are widely perceived to be neutral on the issue of copyright in this instance, and it falls to CIPPIC to make the user rights case in this debate.

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