Web host found liable for file-sharing damages

A Dutch anti-piracy group has won a case which will see the former host of a file-sharing web site held liable for damages.

Pirates under attack

The BBC reports that a court in The Hague found that Amsterdam-headquartered XS Networks was guilty of facilitating copyright infringement after it failed to shut down the SumoTorrent web site which it knew to be illegal.

Ceased operations

Hollywood-backed Brein – a Dutch acronym for Protection Rights Entertainment Industry Netherlands – had tried for years to find out who was behind the web site, which was initially hosted in the Netherlands.
XS Networks has ceased operations, but used to rent its computer servers to the SumoTorrent site. The site itself is unlikely to be affected by the decision, as it moved its data to Ukraine before the case came to court.
Brein’s success menas that a hosting provider which does not act promptly is now liable for damages.

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