1995: Religious Technology Center v. Netcom
A federal judge in the Northern District Court of California ruled that Netcom, an Internet Service Provider (ISP), was liable for contributory infringement (as opposed to direct infringement) of copyright because the company did not remove copyrighted materials posted by a subscriber. Justice Whyte found that “mere possession of a digital copy on a [server] that is accessible to some members of the public” may not constitute direct infringement of the exclusive right to publicly distribute and display. The case was significant for its implications for Internet Service Providers’ knowledge of and liability for infringers’ activities, as well as their use of the fair use doctrine as an affirmative defense against charges of contributory infringement. In 1998, the DMCA limited the liability of “service providers” for some forms of infringement. For more information on ISP liability, see the Copyright Crash Course, “Is Your Library an Internet Service Provider Under the DMCA?”
