Ebay wins court case

Judge rules they can't be blamed for dodgy items on the site...

Ebay has won a landmark court case after being accused of breaching copyright by selling bootleg videos on its site. However, the US judge ruled in eBay's favour, saying the e-tailer could not be held responsible for all items posted for sale on its site. The case was brought by a US filmaker Robert Hendrickson who complained that hooky copies of his 1972 documentary on Charles Manson were being put up for sale on the auction site. Ebay, which invites users to both buy and sell over its site, said it offered Hendrickson the opportunity to sign a sworn declaration that he was the copyright holder, and it would remove the item from sale. Hendrickson refused, and instead took eBay to court. The Judge ruled that eBay's site is just a medium for selling to occur, and therefore the firm could not be held responsible for all material on it at all times. The case is an early test of the controversial 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act put in place to enable ecommerce whilst protecting copyright holder's interests.