Yahoo! Told to Bar Access to Nazi Auction SitesIn a landmark ruling with potential implications for Web users around the world, a French court on Monday ordered US Internet giant Yahoo! to bar French users from sites selling Nazi memorabilia.Judge Jean-Jacques Gomez confirmed a ruling that he first issued on May 22 ordering Yahoo! to prevent people in France from accessing English-language sites that auction Nazi books, daggers, SS badges and uniforms. He had suspended the decision pending testimony from three computer experts on whether the ruling was technically viable. Judge Gomez ordered Yahoo! to conform to the findings of the panel, submitted on November 6, that a filter system registering key words could block access to the offending sites for 90 per cent of French Web surfers. He gave the firm 90 days to enact the measures and said it would be fined 100,000 francs (HK$101,000) for each day it passed the deadline. The case was brought to court by the Paris-based International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism and the Union of French Jewish Students. Judge Gomez upheld their complaint that Yahoo! had to respect French laws prohibiting the exhibition or sale of objects that incite racial hatred. The ruling could have implications for other big US Internet businesses with global reach, such as Amazon.com and online auctioneer eBay. |
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