Music Piracy

Music piracy involves downloading music illegally without paying for it or without consent from the music company's, therefore infringing copyright laws.
The Digital Economy Act first came into law on 9th April 2010, it stated that:

·         Internet service providers (ISPs) must warn those illegally downloading files with a letter

·         Slow down/suspend internet access for repeat offenders

·         Must disclose the identities of the offenders to the police

·         Those caught illegally downloading files could be fined up to £50,000 for copyright infringement

·         Some websites may also be blocked

Criticisms of The Digital Economy Act

·         Public Wi-Fi- how will providers of public Wi-Fi be affected? Will we have to sign up for acceptable use policies (AUP) to use the internet in cafes and hotels?

·         Should people who are warned or fined end up with a criminal record?

·         Should individuals’ actions result in whole groups of people having their internet connection removed?

·         How can it ever truly be proved who was responsible for downloading the music?

·         Do the majority of the public want this law?

‘the bbc found that 87% of internet users felt internet access should be the’ fundamental right of all people.’

Talk Talk has claimed that 80% of youngsters would continue to download regardless of the bill and that internet service providers are being forced to police this without any workable outcomes. ‘Don’t disconnect us’

·         Can peer to peer files sharing ever be stopped? Doesn’t the music industry simply need to adapt its business model?

·         Why is it the ISPs responsibility to enforce the law?

·         Other countries manage to regulate with legal restrictions, why can’t we? Although countries like America have introduced similar legal restrictions on music piracy, downloading copied music is legal in some countries such as Canada, the Netherlands, Spain and panama, provided that the songs aren’t sold.

LimeWire
      LimeWire was one of the world's most popular peer-to-peer file sharing websites which has recently been shut down after its 4 year legal battle with the U.S music industry (Recording Industry Association of America). It has been estimated that piracy costs the music industry around £200 million per year, meaning record company's are losing money due to peer-to-peer file sharing sites such as LimeWire, The Pirate Bay etc being used to download music/films without copyright.