Court rules against music file sharing sites 
 
The sites' operators were ordered to pay an interim sum of 
NIS 500,000 until damages to the petitioners are assessed. 
 
by Orly Peleg-Mizrahi    
Globes
September 21, 2005
 
The Haifa District Court has lifted a gag order about a lawsuit 
filed by music recording companies, including Hed Arzi Ltd., 
Helicon Ltd., and NMC Music Ltd., against music file sharing 
websites Shift, Lala, Lionatwork, and Subcenter. 
Judge Gideon Ginat order the sites? operators to close them 
down, and ordered Internet service providers 012 and 
Internet Gold Golden Lines Ltd. to stop storing the sites. 

The petitioners claimed that the sites were violating their 
copyright. The sites? operators were ordered to pay an 
interim sum of NIS 500,000 until damages to the petitioners 
are assessed. 

In their lawsuit, the petitioners said legal precedents had been 
set elsewhere in the world banning music and movie file 
sharing sites.