The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: Wise Decisions Guard Creativity of Internet Era

The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: Wise Decisions Guard Creativity of Internet Era

By Mike Langberg
Knight Ridder Newspapers

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Silicon Valley can breathe a huge sigh of relief. The Supreme Court of the United States really does understand how technology is changing the world, and delivered two well-reasoned decisions last week in the closely watched Grokster and Brand X cases.

The Grokster decision holds two file-sharing companies liable for rampant Internet piracy, saying they can’t wrap themselves in the magic cloak of innovation to defend illegal behavior. And contrary to the valley’s worst fears, this ruling won’t discourage new technologies from moving forward.

The Brand X decision says companies that build high-speed Internet services don’t have to open their lines to competitors. While some may view this as a blow to small Internet service providers, the court’s ruling makes it more likely consumers in the long run will get service from additional networks.

Both decisions underline the importance of intellectual property, a fancy way of saying inventors in the Internet era have the right to profit from creative endeavors without pirates stealing their ideas.

4 July, 2005 |

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