Concerning the recent Grokster decision, this comment from Robert A. Heinlein (ironically, the coiner of the work “grok”—Stranger in a Strange Land), written in 1939 in the short story, “Lifeline,” seems appropriate:
“There has grown up in the minds of certain groups in this country the notion that because a man or corporation has made a profit out of the public for a number of years, the government and the courts are charged with the duty of guaranteeing such profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances and contrary to public interest. This strange doctrine is not supported by statute nor common law. Neither individuals nor corporations have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back.”
Interesting observation, that: “Neither individuals nor corporations have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back.”
Well, it seems they have that right now…
See: SCOTUSblog
“We’ll see a careful campaign of litigation against peer-to-peer services, trying to gradually stretch the noose of inducement liability until it fits around BitTorrent’s neck. Failing that, we’ll see a push to get Congress to codify (the industries’ interepretation of) the Grokster rule…”
Grokster is really old hat in terms of file sharing technology. BitTorrent is where the action is nowadays. Don’t think that Hollyweird and the moguls of manufactured music don’t have their guns zeroed on on BitTorrent. They do. And the Grokster decision has just enough wiggle room to allow them to fire at will.