Australian Court Orders Kazaa To Install Keyword Filter

The Federal Court of Australia in Sydney has ordered the operators of the Kazaa file-sharing service to install a keyword filter to screen out copyrighted material by December 5. The filter will keep users from trading files containing keywords from a list of 3,000 chosen by record companies. The order follows a September ruling that found Kazaa had been used extensively to infringe copyrights. Sharman Networks, the owner of Kazaa, won an extension until February 2006 to comply fully with the court’s injunction to block file trading of copyrighted materials. The filtering system is seen as an interim measure, with Sharman expected to appeal in early 2006.

InfoWorld, 28 November 2005