If Kazaa can block child porn, then it can block illegal mp3s. So was the case put by the music industry's lead attorney in the opening round of the law suit by record labels Universal Music Australia, EMI, Sony/BMG, Warner, Festival Mushroom and 25 additional "applicants" against Sharman Network, who are behind Kazaa. Only yesterday we reported on the beginnings of this law suit, which has these aforementioned record labels battling it out in the courts over illegal music pirating.
Representatives from Sharman Network have disputed the claim that they are able to filter and block copyrighted material from being swapped via P2P.
"There have been attempts to filter unlawful downloading of music, but it failed. The filter knocks out material which is lawful to exchange but contains any of the words being filtered."
Justice Murray Wilcox, who is hearing the case, said that there are three main points to address in the case, those being:
a) The applicants' contention that the system is gathering information on usage patterns, but is presently not capable of storing that information.
b) Whether it is possible to reconfigure the system so the respondents can track people who are sharing unlicensed music, and
c) Whether it is possible for filters to be put into place to stop unlicensed music file-sharing.
The answers to these questions, and how they are considered by Justice Murray Wilcox, may shape the future P2P landscape.