A group of musicians, producers and labels is going after CBS-owned Download.com for hosting BitTorrent clients like uTorrent. This, after the same group has been trying to sue the company for profiting from the distribution of LimeWire. Ugh, why, absolute foolishness.
TechDirt reports that a group of music industry interests is trying to get an injunction against Download.com distributing BitTorrent clients while the LimeWire-related case is considered. The details of the are pretty ridiculous. The argument is that because LimeWire was shut down for “intentionally encouraging infringement” in 2010, CBS, Download.com, and CNET (which runs Download.com) are partially responsible for these ill deeds.
The allegations are preposterous, but at least LimeWire has been found in violation of something ever. Why go after BitTorrent? Because, according to the plaintiffs, CNET and Download.com have “enthusiastically embraced this new engine of piracy.” The filing refers to the reporting of CNET as a news organisation as marketing for BitTorrent, and says that as with LimeWire, parent company CBS is profiting from the whole charade.
First of all, CNET is a legitimate news gathering organisation. Second, simply hosting some software doesn’t encourage its use when you’re a site like Download.com, which hosts a metric giga-shit-ton of software by all sorts of developers.
There’s some backstory to all this: The lawsuit against CBS is supposedly the work of billionaire Alki David, who has a vendetta against CBS for suing his online TV company FilmOn a few years ago. Red flags! A similar case filed by film-type people against CBS was tossed out for encroaching on first amendment rights. This case will likewise be tossed out, and this whole BitTorrent injunction nonsense is just a distraction. Music people, kindly go back to creativity and skip this frivolous crap. [TechDirt and TorrentFreak]