EU Court: ISPs Don't Have To Identify P2P UsersAt least in civil cases...
(
old news - 04:20PM Wednesday Jan 30 2008)
tags: Fileswapping · privacy · worldTipped by TK Junk Mail 
The entertainment industry is working hard on an international level to try and force countries to adopt laws that require ISPs to hand over the identities of p2p pirates. Their plans faced a setback this week as the European Union's top court
ruled that countries can refuse to disclose the names of file sharers in civil cases.
European Union countries can refuse to disclose names of file sharers on the Internet in civil cases, the EU's top court said on Tuesday in a blow to copyright holders trying to fight digital piracy. The European Court of Justice ruled on a dispute between Spanish music rights holders association Promusicae and Spain's top telecoms operator Telefonica.
"Community law does not require the member states, in order to ensure the effective protection of copyright, to lay down an obligation to disclose personal data in the context of civil proceedings," the court said in a statement.