United States Ninth Circuit

Distributors of peer-to-peer file-sharing computer networking software may not be held contributorily or vicariously liable for copyright infringements committed by the users of its software.

Appellate Information

• Argued 02/03/2004
• Decided 08/19/2004
• Published 08/19/2004

Judges

• THOMAS, Circuit Judge:, Before: BOOCHEVER, NOONAN, and THOMAS, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Ninth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Russell J. Frackman (argued) and George M. Borkowski;  Mitchell Silberberg, et al., LLP;  Los Angeles, CA;  for plaintiffs-appellants Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Bad Boy Records, Capitol Records, Inc., Hollywood Records, Inc., Interscope Records, Laface Records, Motown Record Co., RCA Records Label, Sony Music Entertainment, Inc., UMG Recordings, Inc., Virgin Records America, Inc., Walt Disney Records, Inc., and Zomba Recording Corp., Thomas G. Hentoff, David E. Kendall;  Williams & Connolly;  Washington, DC;  for plaintiffs-appellants Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Disney Enterprises, Inc., Paramount Pictures Corp., Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., and Universal City Studios, LLP., Robert M. Schwartz;  O'Melveny & Myers, LLP;  Los Angeles, CA, for Newline Cinema Corp., Time Warner Entertainment Co., Atlantic Recording Corp., Atlantic Rhino Ventures, Inc., Elektra Entertainment Group, Inc., London-Sire Records, Inc., LP, Warner Brothers Records, Inc., WEA International, Inc., Warner Music Latina, Inc., and Arista Records, Inc., Kelli L. Sager, Andrew J. Thomas, and Jeffrey H. Blum;  Davis, Wright, Tremaine, LLP, Los Angeles, CA;  Carey R. Ramos (argued);  Aidan Synnott and Theodore K. Cheng, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP;  New York, NY, for plaintiffs-appellants Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Peer International Corp., Peer Music Ltd., Songs of Peer Ltd., Criterion Music Corp., Famous Music Corp., Bruin Music Co., Ensign Music Corp., and Let's Talk Shop, Inc., Hank L. Goldsmith;  Proskauer, Rose LLP;  Los Angeles, CA, for amici Bureau International des Societes Gerant Les Droits D'enregistrement et de Reproduction Mecanique, et al., John M. Genga;  Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP;  Los Angeles, CA, for amici Law Professors and Treatise AuthorsNeil Boorstyn, Jay Dougherty, James Gibson, Robert Gorman, Hugh Hansen, Douglas Lichtman, Roger Milgrim, Arthur Miller, and Eric Schwartz., Ian C. Ballon;  Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP;  Los Angeles, CA, for amici American Film Marketing Association, et al., Jeff G. Knowles;  Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass;  San Francisco, CA, for amici American Federation of Musicians, et al., Alan Malasky;  Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur, LLP;  Washington, DC, for amicus National Ass'n of Recording Merchandisers, Inc., Matthew S. Steinberg;  Greenberg Traurig, LLP;  Santa Monica, CA, for amici National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., Jennifer M. Urban;  Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic, University of California at Berkeley School of Law;  Berkeley, CA, for amici 40 Intellectual Property and Technology Law Professors., Jason M. Mahler;  Washington, DC, for amicus Computer & Communications Industry Association, Netcoalition Industry Association., Christopher A. Hansen;  ACLU Foundation;  New York, NY, for amici American Civil Liberties Union, et al.  Roderick G. Dorman;  Hennigan, Bennett & Dorman, LLP;  Los Angeles, California, David B. Casselman, Wasserman, Comden, Casselman & Pearson, LLP, Los Angeles, CA, for amicus Sharman Networks Ltd., Robert E. Kohn, Santa Monica, CA, for amici Consumer Electronics Association and Home Recording Rights Coalition.


• For Appellees:
  
• Mark Lemley and Michael H. Page (argued);  Keker & Van Nest;  San Francisco, CA;  Jennifer Stisa Granick;  Stanford Law School;  Stanford, CA, for defendant-appellee Grokster Ltd., Cindy A. Cohn and Fred von Lohmann (argued);  Electronic Frontier Foundation;  San Francisco, CA;  Charles S. Baker;  Munsch, Hardt, Kopf & Harr, P.C.;   Austin, TX, for defendant-appellee StreamCast Networks, Inc.