The Software Publishers Association has settled a controversial copyright infringement lawsuit against a US Internet service provider for hosting a Web site that allegedly aided software piracy, reports our sister newsletter Multimedia Futures. The lawsuit, against GeoCities Inc is part of the associations’ Internet Anti-Piracy Campaign and the latest in a string of suits against Internet service providers to be settled. The suit, and two others that have been dropped against Tripod Inc of Williamstown, Massachusetts, and Community ConneXion Inc of Oakland, California, were filed in October on behalf of Adobe Systems Inc, Claris Corp, and Traveling Software Inc. The Software Publishers Association had contacted 25 Internet service providers, including these three, who unknowingly hosted sites that allegedly promoted illegal copying of software, and asked them to remove the offending sites and to sign the code of conduct stating the service providers would set up an anti-piracy policy. Some service providers objected, however, saying that the code was both too vague, but at the same time demanded that they police all sites and pages that were linked to their servers. Now, the Association has toned its rhetoric – encouraging providers to copyright protection guidelines, rather than asking them to sign a code of conduct.
