Section 512(a)
More specifically, 512(a)
provides that an Internet Service Provider:
shall not be liable for monetary relief, or, except as provided
in subsection (j), for injunctive or other equitable relief, for
infringement of copyright by reason of the provider's transmitting,
routing, or providing connections for, material through a system
or network controlled or operated by or for the service provider,
or by reason of the intermediate and transient storage of that
material in the course of such transmitting, routing, or providing
connections, if -
- (1) the transmission of the material was initiated by or
at the direction of a person other than the service provider;
- (2) the transmission, routing, provision of connections,
or storage is carried out through an automatic technical process
without selection of the material by the service provider;
- (3) the service provider does not select the recipients of
the material except as an automatic response to the request of
another person;
- (4) no copy of the material made by the service provider
in the course of such intermediate or transient storage is maintained
on the system or network in a manner ordinarily accessible to
anyone other than anticipated recipients, and no such copy is
maintained on the system or network in a manner ordinarily accessible
to such anticipated recipients for a longer period than is reasonably
necessary for the transmission, routing, or provision of connections;
and
- (5) the material is transmitted through the system or network
without modification of its content.
512(d)
provides that an Internet Service Provider
shall not be liable for monetary relief, or, except as provided
in subsection (j), for injunctive or other equitable relief, for
infringement of copyright by reason of the provider referring
or linking users to an online location containing infringing material
or infringing activity, by using information location tools, including
a directory, index, reference, pointer, or hypertext link, if
the service provider -
- (1) (A) does not have actual knowledge that the material
or activity is infringing;
- (B) in the absence of such actual knowledge, is not aware
of facts or circumstances from which infringing activity is apparent;
or
(C) upon obtaining such knowledge or awareness, acts expeditiously
to remove, or disable access to, the material;
- (2) does not receive a financial benefit directly attributable
to the infringing activity, in a case in which the service provider
has the right and ability to control such activity; and
- (3) upon notification of claimed infringement as described
in subsection (c)(3), responds expeditiously to remove, or disable
access to, the material that is claimed to be infringing or to
be the subject of infringing activity, except that, for purposes
of this paragraph, the information described in subsection (c)(3)(A)(iii)
shall be identification of the reference or link, to material
or activity claimed to be infringing, that is to be removed or
access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably
sufficient to permit the service provider to locate that reference
or link.
In its appeal
from the District Court's ruling, Napster appears to have
abandoned its reliance on 512(a) but continues to seek the protection
of 512(d).