Ninth Circuit Appeals Court Rules In Favor Of USENET Service Giganews

United States Court Of Appeals For The Ninth Circuit has ruled in favor of Giganews in Perfect 10 v Giganews. In March 2016, the i2Coalition filed an amicus brief in this case. The Court’s decision affirms two concepts critical to Internet infrastructure providers: that those providing notice of materials allegedly infringing their copyright must do so in a way that easily facilitates review by the provider; and affirming that the provider receive directly financial benefit from the material alleged to be infringed.

“We are pleased that the Ninth Circuit found in favor of Giganews.” said i2Coalition Board Chair David Snead. “The Court’s decision was a strong rejection of Perfect 10’s arguments that service providers should be vicariously liable for the alleged copyright infringement of their users. This decision is a victory for the Internet infrastructure community, and will provide clarity on the responsibility of Internet intermediaries who often have extreme difficulty determining how to respond to copyright infringement claims.”