Andre Yoskowitz
24 Jun 2009 2:36
Following a lengthy investigation into copyright infringement, a Milan judge has this week ordered the operators of a few unauthorized music download sites to forfeit $2.4 million euros.
The sites were each accused of offering unlicensed music for download, either for free or for prices much cheaper than iTunes or Amazon MP3.
The investigation was headed by the Italian Fiscal Police, and began in 2003. 54 suspects were arrested in Italy, but all went free after the "case was dropped as a result of the expiry of the relevant limitation period."
Despite that technical difficulty, the Judge for Preliminary Investigations said it had been proven that the offenses had indeed been committed and the money, which had been frozen anyways, was seized.