Rapidshare won’t check uploads

Rapidshare has announced that it will not actively monitor uploads for copyright infringement. The file sharing service states that this is technically impossible. Moreover, Rapidshare would already do enough to keep illegal material out.

With the public statement, Rapidshare repeats the position it previously expressed before a German court. The judge then ruled that the host site must check every upload, but Rapidshare say now again that it cannot meet this. According to the company, it is impossible to check all uploads for possible copyright infringement, as it is not clear in advance whether it is a home copy or illegal content. Rapidshare states that German copyright law gives users the right to make a home copy.

Furthermore, automated scanning of incoming files would be technically impossible, as many uploads are encrypted. In addition, the privacy of Rapidshare users would be compromised if every single file had to be checked. Rapidshare also states that it already invests enough in countering piracy on its file sharing service. For example, the company employs six employees in its abuse department, who delete copyright-infringing files if they receive a legitimate request to do so. Websites that offer links to illegal content on Rapidshare would also be monitored.

The position taken against Rapidshare’s judgment is remarkable, because an employee of the file hoster recently informed the Austrian channel Orf know that the company is actively working on ‘solutions’ to block illegal uploads. It is still unclear whether Rapidshare will appeal against the judgment of the German court.