About 90 percent of files transferred through file-sharing program BitTorrent were found have violated the copyright law, according to a study released by the University of Ballarat’s Internet Commerce Security Laboratory (ICSL).
The survey also revealed that illegal file-sharing activities accounted for nearly half of the Internet traffic, suggesting that current laws on the copyright issues are “virtually meaningless with the severity of the situation.”
“While BitTorrent is a legitimate software, its system is the most preferred program for sharing illegal contents”, Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) executive director Neil Gane said.
Gane said the study, which mostly involved movies and television programs that were shared online, has provided the first comprehensive finding showing the “legality” of the files being shared by users.
Meanwhile, the study also showed that nearly 8 percent of the files shared through the controversial program were found to be containing pornographic materials.
Court Battle Between ISPs and Copyright Holders
Record company Village Roadshow which sponsored the study is currently embroiled in a legal battle against Australia’s biggest Internet service provider iiNet over copyright issues.
AFACT, which represents Village Roadshow and other recording companies, has filed a copyright lawsuit against iiNet for allegedly “allowing online users from doing illegal file-sharing activities that have an adverse impact on the entertainment industry.”
But few weeks ago, Federal Court Justice Denis Cowdroy ruled against AFACT and said that ISPs should not be held liable with their customer’s online copyright infringements.
However, AFACT said it will appeal the court decision next month.
“Internet providers are ignoring pleas from copyright owners to stop online piracy” AFACT official Adrianne Pecotic said during a conference in Sydney.