A Federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against the Aimster file sharing service.
The judge found it likely that Aimster will ultimately (after all the evidence is heard) be found liable for contributory and vicarious copyright infringement. Based on a quick reading, it looks like this is based on Aimster’s involvement in promoting the available files, the use of infringing files as examples in its documentation, and on its failure to enforce its stated policy of kicking off infringers.
The opinion has some commentary on the Supreme Court’s Sony Betamax decision, hinting that Betamax established a standard based on the “primary use” of a product.
The exact terms of the injunction (i.e. what Aimster will be required to do or not do) are yet to be decided.
