Grokster Decision Will Spawn Immediate Legislative Assault

Grokster Decision Will Spawn Immediate Legislative Assault

CHICAGO, June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Supreme Court has already scheduled opinion announcements for 10:00 a.m. EDT on June 23rd and a decision in the high-profile, peer-to-peer file-swapping case, MGM v. Grokster, is anticipated to be among them.

"If Grokster wins, the music and film industries will immediately prepare an assault on the legislative branch with interest groups appealing to Congress to work around the Grokster decision," says Joseph V. Norvell, Chair of the Copyright Practice Group at Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione (Chicago), one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the U.S. "Shortly after Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of Grokster in 2004, we saw the Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act introduced. While it never made it out of committee, I would expect similar and more aggressive efforts to be undertaken after the Supreme Court decision."

The Grokster lawsuit involves Internet file-sharing, but the Court's decision could impact the delicate balance between copyright interests and technological providers that has existed over the past twenty years. Specifically at issue is whether distributors of file-sharing software, such as Grokster, can be held responsible for any copyright infringements committed by users of their programs.

Mr. Norvell is available for interviews prior to and in reaction to the decision and can be reached at 312-321-4712 or jnorvell@usebrinks.com.

Founded in 1917, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione is based in Chicago with four other offices across the country and serves the intellectual property needs of clients from around the world. The firm is one of the largest IP law firms in the country, with approximately 150 attorneys who specialize in intellectual property litigation and all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and Internet work, unfair competition, and technology and licensing agreements. Visit the firm online at http://www.usebrinks.com/ .

Contact: Sydney Iglitzen 312-222-8114 siglitzen@usebrinks.com

Source: Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione

CONTACT: Sydney Iglitzen of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, +1-312-222-8114 siglitzen@usebrinks.com

Web site: http://www.usebrinks.com/

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