7m Brits illegally download
- — 02 June, 2009 03:49
Around 7m Brits are using a file-sharing network once a week to illegally download music files, says the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property (SABIP).
The board estimated that these downloads are costing the economy £12bn (US$19.4 billion) a year but said many of the downloaders were unsure that their actions were actually illegal.
"This report gives us some baseline evidence from which we can develop a clear research strategy to support policy development in this fast moving area," said Dame Lynne Brindley, a member of the SABIP.
The SABIP's report also recommended that consumers should be educated rather than prosecuted.
"We can't expect 12-year-olds to become copyright lawyers before they can switch on a computer, but we can educate people on enforcement and work towards getting the right people caught and punished - wherever they live," said the report.
Whether these recommendations will appear in the Digital Britain report, which is expected to be published on June 16, will remain to be seen. The report will layout strategies for a number of issues surrounding digital entertainment such as 2Mbps broadband for all, as well as tackling illegal downloaders.
The government is currently working with a number of UK tech and entertainment companies, including Virgin Media, on a strategy to tackle internet piracy, which will be published in the report.
Comments
gfrend
1
same old same old
We know the big content corporations are a humourless bunch, but we expect them to be a bit brighter than to dish out the same old self-serving 1-2-3 with no independently substantiated evidence whatever:
1) Commission a "survey" or a "report" that has liberal references to "millions";
2) Claim that the "millions" are costing the corporations "billions";
3) Use their links with various politicians to demand that large numbers of children be declared criminals.
Hey guys, you may not have noticed but its not 1955 any more.
Lamar
2
Preschool game
Good afternoon. Good company and good discourse are the very sinews of virtue.
I am from Islands and now study English, tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "July for the first time, thousands of mozambican preschoolers will soon experience the thrill of climbing a jungle gym, riding a seesaw and swinging in a tire thanks to idol gives back viewers."
Thank you very much :P. Lamar.