RIAJ wins judgement against peer-to-peer service Japan MMO

January 29, 2003

The recording industry association of Japan, RIAJ, and 19 record company members today secured a judgement that the FileRogue peer-to-peer service operated by Japan MMO violated their copyrights.

The court found that both Japan MMO and its principal Michio Matsuda were responsible for infringing the plaintiffs' rights, and must pay damages. Further proceedings will determine the level of damages and the scope of other relief.

RIAJ, the record companies, and authors' society JASRAC sued Japan MMO in November 2001. Today's decision is an 'interlocutory judgement' that determined liability; it confirmed the court's April 2002 preliminary injunction that required Japan MMO to suspend the service.

A survey by the plaintiffs indicated that the vast majority of the 70,000 files available on the service at any one time were commercial CD tracks put on the internet without permission from the rights owners.

A statement from the RIAJ said: "Today's ruling will significantly help in preventing Japan from degenerating into a 'pirate paradise' in the borderless world of the internet. RIAJ will continue to take strong measures against the illegal distribution of music on the internet, which corrupts the cycle of music creation and damages music culture."

Allen Dixon, IFPI General Counsel and Executive Director said: "Online music piracy causes substantial damage to record companies, artists and others in the music business. The Japan MMO decision helps to get this point across, and is fully consistent with the growing international consensus that putting other people's music on the internet is illegal."

For further information contact:
Fiona Harley at IFPI Communications on tel: +44 (0)20 7878 7900