

While copying an unreleased album for work, he accidently left a file-sharing site open on his computer. In the USA the industry is putting fake tracks on file-sharing networks to track down your IP.īob May, a British PR, found out the hard way how seriously record companies are taking the issue. Individuals may be held civilly liable – regardless of whether the activity is for profit – for actual damages or lost profits, or for statutory damages up to £90,000 per infringed copyright. Repeat offenders can be imprisoned for up to six years. In some US states the online infringement of copyrighted music can be punished by up to three years' jail and £150,000 in fines. The BPI has even threatened file-sharers with a court appearance.īut as ever with rapid internet developments, it is America which is leading the way in copyright prosecution. Stern letters have been sent which issue threats of disconnection if the file sharing is not discontinued. Thanks to the ISPs' access to IP addresses, the BPI and the ISPs can contact individuals suspected of illegal downloading. In a recent development, the British Phonographic Industry has started working with big internet service providers such as Virgin. The real issue here is detection and the steps the industries are taking to enforce their members' rights. Taking a song or film without paying for it is a breach of copyright. But that does not mean personal use downloading is legal.
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Those downloaders who can show that all their music and films copied from the internet are only for personal use will escape the full weight of the criminal law. It is estimated that half the population has engaged in some sort of nefarious downloading in the last five years. In 1997, 78 million singles were sold in the UK last year, it was just 8.6m. Illegal downloading in the UK has become a massive threat to the music and film industries. But they do send the men in black round if you try to avoid paying for your albums. And I don't recall any sanctimonious hectoring about stealing from the mouths of starving artists.

I don't remember any heavies from the record industry turning up on my doorstep to threaten me with prosecution for illegal taping. The music centre was the first mass-produced legal downloader and millions of us created vast vaults of tapes of our favourite bands. On just two C120s I recorded the Hawkwind back catalogue and still had space to tack on the best of X-ray Spex (1979 was a musically-confusing year). I remember how chuffed I was when I discovered I could use my Panasonic music centre to tape my mates' vinyl record collections.
