Yahoo China got smacked by a Beijing appeals court that ruled deep linking to pirated music violates China's copyright laws, making the company a facilitator of copyright infringement.
It is assumed by "pirate music" they don't mean "Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum." IFPI includes among its membership EMI, Warner, Universal and Sony BMG.
A guilty verdict was issued in April against Yahoo China, which was appealed. A Beijing court today dismissed that appeal. IFPI claims the recording industry collected just $76 million in music sales for the Chinese market, or just one percent of the global recorded music market.
Yahoo was found guilty under a law that went into effect in 2006. IFPI's case against Baidu, which claims 195 counts of infringement, was brought to the courts under older copyright laws which did not find Baidu liable.
IFPI says Baidu's infringement days are numbered, though. “We are disappointed that the court did not find Baidu liable," said Kennedy, "but that judgment was about Baidu’s actions in the past under an old law that is no longer in force. The judgment is irrelevant since it has effectively been superseded by the Yahoo China ruling. Baidu should now prepare to have its actions judged under the new law. We are confident a court would hold Baidu liable as it has Yahoo China."
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