MP3Board copyright case closer to trial

The MP3Board.com case took a step closer to trial Thursday, after a judge rejected requests from both sides for a quick resolution in their favor. U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein of the Southern District of New York rejected summary judgment bids from the major music labels and MP3Board, a site that provides links to digital songs. The labels are suing the company, claiming its links allow people to illegally obtain copyrighted works.

The case is important because it examines whether linking to material that may be pirated is a violation of copyright law. In some cases, judges have ruled that providing links to certain material runs afoul of such law. For example, in one case judges prohibited hacker publication 2600 from linking to code that could be used to crack DVD copy protection, saying the action aided copyright infringement.