ARIA support action against Kazaa

February 6, 2004

The Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA), representing the interests of large and small Australian record companies, today confirmed its support for the proceedings recently commenced by the record industry against Kazaa.

Stephen Peach, the CEO of ARIA, said today:

"ARIA supports the industry's move to stop the illegal behviour of file sharing networks. The 'free side' simply can't continue indefinitely at the expense of the owners and creators of the music."

"I firmly believe that most Australians understand and accept that it is illegal and unfair to copy other people's work without permission. This is particularly so now that there are, of course, legitimate download services operating in Australia. These services allow users to download songs legally whilst at the same time ensuring that the owners and creators of the songs receive payment for the use of their music."