Filesharing ruling against ISP hailed as precedent

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Copyright groups have hailed a Belgian court decision making an Internet service provider responsible for illegal file-sharing on its network as a European first that could help the music industry.

Belgian music copyright group SABAM, which brought the case, said on Friday it would consider taking other ISPs to court after its victory in the three-year-long case against Belgian ISP Scarlet, formerly part of Tiscali.

"We want to put an end to the exchange of protected music files," said SABAM spokesman Thierry Dachelet.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents hundreds of record companies worldwide, said the case could set a precedent for the international fight against piracy.

"The court has confirmed that the ISPs have both a legal responsibility and the technical means to tackle piracy," IFPI Chairman and Chief Executive John Kennedy said in a statement.

"This is a decision that we hope will set the mould for government policy and for courts in other countries in Europe and around the world."

Until now, the few cases that have been successfully prosecuted in Europe have targeted individuals illegally sharing music and other files over the Internet rather than the ISPs.

Such peer-to-peer file-sharing is estimated to cost the music industry billions of dollars each year in revenues it could have made from CD sales or paid-for downloads.

The Belgian court gave Scarlet six months to implement measures to block or filter copyright-infringing material on peer-to-peer networks.

Scarlet said it may appeal against the ruling.

Asked whether he would take on other Belgian ISPs, SABAM spokesman Dachelet said, "We are reviewing our options and at this stage it is premature to say what we will do."

Belgium's dominant telecoms group, Belgacom, said it would study whether it could implement similar measures.

"We are open to solutions which are both legal and respect our clients privacy," Belgacom spokesman Haroun Fenaux said.