Post by Punjab2000 on Nov 16, 2005 15:36:19 GMT
BPI doubles the pressure on illegal filesharers : 15:11:2005
Sixty five to face legal action over illegal filesharing
More than 70 UK internet users have paid up to avoid court action
UK industry calls on consumer groups to spread anti-piracy message
Bright future forecast for music as net tightens on illegal p2p
UK record companies' trade association the BPI today significantly stepped up its campaign against illegal filesharing, announcing that it is launching 65 new cases against large-scale uploaders.
This is approximately twice as many cases as there have been in each of the three previous batches announced by the BPI, and takes the total number of UK cases over 150.
BPI chairman Peter Jamieson said, “There will be no let-up in our fight against illegal filesharing. We will do what it takes to defend our rights under the law.”
The new UK actions coincide with the announcement of 2,100 new cases worldwide across 16 countries. The record industry’s global campaign against filesharing that has now seen almost 20,000 cases worldwide against individuals for illegally distributing music on the internet.
And in the UK more than 70 filesharers have agreed to pay settlements of up to £6,500 to avoid court action.
BPI General Counsel Roz Groome said: "There is no doubt that legal action is helping to contain the spread of illegal filesharing, but there is sadly still no shortage of people who believe the law simply does not apply to them.
"The bad news for Britain's digital shoplifters is that the law is not on your side, and in twelve months more than 70 British filesharers have discovered the real cost of free music and ended up thousands of pounds out of pocket to avoid a costly court case."
The BPI launched its first actual legal proceedings against five alleged filesharers in August this year. These cases are pending and are set to go to court shortly.
UK industry calls on consumer groups to help spread anti-piracy message
The BPI has today reiterated its plea for help in its bid to raise awareness of the illegality of filesharing and ensure consumers stay legal online.
Since the launch of the BPI's campaign, hundreds of thousands of warning messages have been sent direct to filesharers’ desktops, tens of thousands of parental awareness leaflets have been distributed in record shops and public buildings, and software that computer users can use to avoid legal risk is now available to download for free from the BPI website.
The record companies' association has also written to more than a thousand academic institutions and companies in a bid to raise awareness of the problems that can arise on corporate networks.
BPI Chairman Peter Jamieson said, "We have invested a great deal of resource in helping consumers avoid legal risk. But more needs to be done. Today I am writing to both the National Consumer Council and Which?, asking them to play their part in tackling this problem.
Bright future forecast for music as net closes in on illegal p2p
Evidence is building that the recording industry’s campaign against internet piracy is bearing fruit:
*Court victories against filesharing networks
Over the past months the recording industry has won court victories against two of the biggest filesharing networks – (in Australia) and Grokster in the US. Since then two other networks – WinMX and eDonkey – have stopped offering new versions of their software.
*Growing consumer awareness of illegality
Independent research shows that seven out of ten British consumers are now aware that unauthorised filesharing is illegal.
Earlier this year Entertainment Media Research announced that fear of prosecution was the main reason why 65% of filesharers say they would download less illegal music in the future. The same report also reveals that the percentage of consumers using legitimate services increased from 20% in 2004 to 35% in 2005.
BPI Chairman Peter Jamieson said: "After the and Grokster rulings, no company can now be under the illusion that building a business on facilitating copyright infringement is in any way legal. The net is closing in on illegal p2p."
"The penny is beginning to drop that illegally distributing music on the internet is something you can and will be sued for.
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*About the BPI
The BPI is the British record industry's trade association. We have represented the interests of British record companies since being formally incorporated in 1973 when our principal aim was to fight the growing problem of music piracy.
Since then our membership has swelled to comprise more than 320 companies including all four major record companies, associate members such as manufacturers and distributors plus hundreds of independent music companies representing literally thousands of labels which together account for over 90% of recorded music output in the UK.
*Illegal filesharing
Our members provide the overwhelming majority of the multi-million pound investment in new music to the benefit of the wider music industry that employs around 125,000 people in the UK.
The BPI has spearheaded the music industry's campaign against illegal filesharing, which dramatically undermines our members' ability to invest in new music and has cost the UK record industry more than £650 million in lost sales in the last two years alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is filesharing?
Filesharing is the activity of trading digital files with other users over the internet. The most popular method is for the user to download software from the internet to gain access to a filesharing network.
When the software is in use, and the user’s connection to the internet is open, the filesharer can trade music files (by uploading or downloading) with others who are online.
Although the technology itself (also known as peer-to-peer, or p2p) offers potential for the development of legitimate services, the vast majority of songs currently available on file-sharing networks are being distributed illegally.
In this context, downloading is when an internet user obtains a digital music file from another filesharer. This involves making an unauthorised copy - contrary to Section 16 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act (CDPA) 1988 - and is illegal.
The more serious activity of uploading is when an internet user allows other internet users access to their digital music files. Uploading runs contrary to Section 20 of the CDPA and is unlawful regardless of whether or not the music was acquired legally or illegally.
More than 70 UK internet users have already paid out thousands of pounds after admitting to uploading music illegally on the internet.
Who are the 65 people you are threatening to sue?
We won't know the identities of the individuals until the internet service providers (ISPs) disclose them.
If past cases are anything to go on, it’s likely that there will be a real mix of people. While the majority have been males between the ages of 20 and 40, some parents have paid out thousands of pounds after their children had been illegally uploading music to the internet.
What happened to the 5 people you took to court earlier this year?
The High Court has not yet released these individuals' names and addresses. These cases are pending and we expect them to be heard before the end of the year.
Does filesharing damage music sales?
The British singles market has more than halved since 1999, despite averaging around 70 million sales annually in the twenty-five years before then. In the same time, the global market has declined by around a quarter.
On top of that, the overwhelming majority of independent research has confirmed that any promotional benefit derived from illegal p2p filesharing is outweighed by the loss of sales.
