Mr. Isamu Kaneko, a then Tokyo University researcher, developed the peer-to-peer file-sharing software Winny, and was arrested in May 2004 on suspicion of assisting with copyright violations.
In December 2006, the Kyoto District Court fined him ¥1.5 million for enabling two computer users to illegally make movies and other files available for downloading. The court said he continued to offer Winny via his website even though he was aware that it was being used for illegally copying copyrighted materials.
But in October 2009, the Osaka High Court acquitted him, stating it was hard to say that he posted the file-sharing software on his website for the express purpose of helping computer users violate copyrights. On Dec. 19, the Supreme Court's No. 3 Petit Bench, in a 4-1 ruling, upheld the high court ruling.