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Hollywood film studios lost a landmark court bid Thursday to hold an Australian Internet provider responsible for illegal movie downloads by its customers, in a blow to their efforts against piracy.
A Federal Court judge ruled iiNet, Australia's third largest Internet Service Provider (ISP), had not authorised the downloads and did not have the power to stop them.
"It is impossible to conclude that iiNet has authorised copyright infringement... (it) did not have relevant power to prevent infringements occurring," Justice Dennis Cowdroy said in his judgement.
The case, involving major studios such as Warner Bros, Disney, Paramount, Columbia and Twentieth Century Fox, was seen as the most ambitious attempt yet to force ISPs to act against piracy.
It hinged on thousands of alleged infringements on the iiNet network over 59 weeks from June 2008, involving nearly 90 films and TV series including "Batman Begins," "Transformers" and "Heroes."
The consortium of 34 Australian and US media content providers sent iiNet notifications of the infringements but said nothing was done about them.
Justice Cowdroy recommended the application be dismissed and that the consortium of studios pay the court costs.
