The time for Rapidshare to rule the world of one-click file hosters is long gone, which doesn't mean that the Swiss-based company is having it any easier staying out of trouble. In fact this week, the German Federal Court of Justice affirmed an
earlier court decision (German) that Rapidshare had to proactively filter the files uploaded by its users and take effective measures against the use of illegal content on its service. The case was brought by a group of German booksellers, book publishers and Germany's music rights authority GEMA.
As expected, Alexander Skipis, CEO of the German Booksellers Association, is in a
celebrating mood.
"The decision of the Federal Court of Justice to affirm the judgement is a crucial step forward. Cyberlockers like Rapidshare bear responsibility for content on their servers, and they can no longer hide behind making vague excuses. The days are gone when one could profit from copyright infringing uploads."
No comment from Rapidshare on this yet.
[via
Golem.de]