KaZaA under attack from an intercontinental ballistic lawsuit

File sharing has opened many doors and opportunites for millions of Internet users. This includes warez hounds and MP3 buffs, but there is the odd person after more legitimate content. KaZaA is P2P though, which makes it an instant target for the

File sharing has opened many doors and opportunites for millions of Internet users. This includes warez hounds and MP3 buffs, but there is the odd person after more legitimate content. KaZaA is P2P though, which makes it an instant target for the law. Well, the RIAA anyway.

Sharman Networks, current owner of KaZaA, has found itself at the recieving end of a rather nasty lawsuit. The RIAA-tipped warhead will cross the Pacific ocean and land sqaurely at our doorsteps -- Sharman Networks has its headquaters based here, in Australia.

The company was using this very fact to protect itself from U.S., or more accurately, Californian law. U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson didn't see this as a major hurdle. Sharman cited that the company, nor the program, had any substantial links to the state to justify a lawsuit. The Judge refuted this fact, by stating that more than likely, many millions of users in California use KaZaA, therefore, there is a fairly chunky amount of contact with the state.

This is golden news for the MPAA and RIAA (The Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America), and both will defintely proceed with the suit, which now has the potential to snowball into a larger problem for Sharman Networks, as more companies join the legal bandwagon.