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Soribada, the nation¡¯s largest online music service, decided on Monday to suspend its peer-to-peer file swapping service Soribada 3, forcing its 22 million members to switch to premium music services or look for other free illegal file download sources.
The decision came after the Seoul Central District Court ordered the site to shut down its P2P service in a suit filed by the Korean Association of Phonogram Producers (KAPP), a music industry lobby, last August. The court on Oct. 31 also ordered Soribada fined W10 million (US$10,000) a day if it insist on continuing the P2P service.
The move is another victory for the recording industry in its battle to shut down free online music services to protect its copyright earnings. Bugs Music, Korea¡¯s largest music streaming site, also bowed to industry demands and started charging subscription fees in September.
KAPP is currently in talks with other P2P services to persuade them to switch to a fee-paying service or face legal action, according to KAPP spokesman Yoon Seoung-woo. Yoon added that KAPP will take further civil and criminal action against Soribada for losses the association says it caused members by facilitating file-swapping in the past.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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