Ares Connect

The accusation – and subsequent court battles – by Blue Destiny (a small Blues-oriented label) promised to provide a resolution to the question of Google’s alleged facilitation of piracy and copyright infringement. Promised, until Blue Destiny dropped the legal action in March, that is.

The reasons behind the sudden drop are unknown, but it is thought that Blue Destiny simply ran out of funds before they could force the matter into the courts. Google breathed a sigh of relief then went like a lion after its prey. Would Blue Destiny now officially waive the right to pursue similar claims in future? Not a chance, the label wanted to reserve its right to future actions. This was not enough for G, who are now going back to the courts to force the issue: it wants nothing less than a declaratory judgment confirming its belief that it is not responsible for the actions of filesharing sites and services such as Rapidshare, and that linking to these sites does not mean it is endorsing copyright theft.

Google’s argument is a simple one: it cannot be held responsible for the actions of everyone on the web. If people want to put illegal material up on the web, then it is not for Google to play international policeman. This, it would argue, is an impossible task even if it wanted to.

Should be an interesting few months.

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