A new theory with consequences.

The article reports that now that the initial furor over the "MGM v. Grokster" Supreme Court case has settled down and the cries from the opposing sides have faded into a grumble, the decision can be looked a little more dispassionately. The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous decision could be held liable for copyright infringements committed by users of their peer-to-peer file-sharing software. Paul McNamara who inhabits the Net Buzz column due South of here, commented a couple of weeks ago that the court quite sensibly zeroed in on what has always been the crux of the matter--illegal business practices--and not technology itself. Non-infringing uses are all well and good, but such capabilities offer no defense against lawsuits if accompanied by a business model and marketing that are based on encouraging piracy.