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Following on from the jail sentence handed out to illegal file-
sharers, Pirate Bay, by a Swedish court, the UK's top creative
industries are lobbying the government to take a firmer stance on
persistent file-sharers, according to BBC news (May 12, 2009).
Up until now, the UK government has not had, it appears, the
inclination to penalise such users, quoting such comments as, "We
can't have a system where we're talking about arresting teenagers in
their bedrooms", instead preferring to place the onus on ISP
providers, setting a target of reducing the problem by at least 70%
over the next few years, without publicly seeming to actually take any
direct action.
The media industry, in the meantime, is being hit hard, with
statistics quoting an estimated one billion music tracks and 98
million films being shared illegally in 2007 alone.
In a direct attempt to combat illegal file sharing and compensate
artists, Kerchoonz.com, launching next month, is the first integrated
social networking and media site to legally enable streaming and
download of music, videos and online games, whilst paying the featured
artists and creators of music. Its founders, Indiana Gregg and Ian
Morrow, themselves Glasgow-based musicians, are ardent supporters of
the campaign to introduce firm legislation towards protecting
copyright on the internet.
Indiana says: "Free media comes with a price tag and sites who are
profiting from the use or exchange of copyright works without
compensating the rights holders are simply robbing the livelihood of
artists and not only that, they are destroying any chance for new
artists and bands to raise funds and investments in their music and/or
get record deals. Nobody will want to invest in new music in the
future if security isn't tightened on the web."
http://www.kerchoonz.com |
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