• January 15, 2009

A federal judge will allow a Webcast of a hearing next Thursday in a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by the record industry against Boston University student Joel Tenenbaum.

"In many ways, this case is about the so-called Internet Generation," U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Gertner wrote in her ruling, issued Wednesday. "It is reportedly a generation that does not read newspapers or watch the evening news, but gets its information largely, if not almost exclusively, over the internet."

The student, represented by Harvard professor Charles Nesson, is seeking to have the case dismissed at next week's hearing. He recently filed a motion seeking to have the proceedings broadcast on the Web.

The record industry opposed that request -- a stance Gertner found "curious," given the industry's statements that it pursues these cases make an example of defendants. "At previous hearings and status conferences, the Plaintiffs have represented that they initiated these lawsuits not because they believe they will identify every person illegally downloading copyrighted material. Rather, they believe that the lawsuits will deter the Defendants and the wider public from engaging in illegal file-sharing activities. Their strategy effectively relies on the publicity resulting from this litigation," she wrote.--Wendy Davis