Japanese police make first file-sharing arrests

[Kellanved]

KYOTO -- Two people who used the file-sharing software "Winny" to offer movies and video game software to an unspecified number of people over the Internet have been arrested, police said.

Katsuhiko Kimoto, a 41-year-old self-employed businessman from Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, and an unemployed 19-year-old from Matsuyama were arrested on suspicion of violating copyright laws.

Law enforcers also searched the home of the developer of Winny, and shut down the Internet page that was offering free copies of the software.

It is the first time police have arrested people for using file-sharing software. Investigators said Kimoto used the software to release the U.S. movie "A Beautiful Mind" and one more item over the Internet without permission of the copyright holders, while the 19-year-old allegedly offered the popular video game software Super Mario Advance and another item so people could download them.

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