Search engines contain automatic references to, roughly speaking, the entire internet (minus explicitly blocked content). The search engine is used to obtain a vast amount of knowledge by a vast number of people. It will link copyright infringing material at a low percentage rate.
TVShack on the other hand is used exclusively to link to copyright infringing material. It's used for a very singular purpose at a near one hundred percent rate.
IANAL in any country so I can't say what, if any, legal difference exists. Practically speaking the difference is rather straight forward. One entity (TVShack) exists for the exclusive purpose of linking copyrighted material and one does not.
The difference between the two is obvious but at a very basic level all TVShack did was provide links. I can't see why linking to content should ever be illegal. And I think this is another case where they are just trying to make an example of someone. If they actually cared about copyright infringement they would go after the companies hosting the content he linked to.
Search engines contain automatic references to, roughly speaking, the entire internet (minus explicitly blocked content). The search engine is used to obtain a vast amount of knowledge by a vast number of people. It will link copyright infringing material at a low percentage rate.
TVShack on the other hand is used exclusively to link to copyright infringing material. It's used for a very singular purpose at a near one hundred percent rate.
IANAL in any country so I can't say what, if any, legal difference exists. Practically speaking the difference is rather straight forward. One entity (TVShack) exists for the exclusive purpose of linking copyrighted material and one does not.