A campaign launched by people-powered action group 38 Degrees to enable people to lobby their MPs about the Digital Economy Bill has already generated 7,000 petitionary emails in two days. According to 38 Degrees: “There’s plenty to oppose in the Digital Economy Bill, it gives the government the ability to disconnect millions. Schools, libraries and [...]
Last night’s Panorama “Are the net police coming for you?” featured Jo Whiley looking at a proposed new law targeting illegal downloaders. Much of the programme focused on the disagreement between the music artists, with the likes of Billy Bragg, Kate Nash and Marillion’s Mark Kelly arguing for a reappraisal of the business models and people [...]
A letter to the Financial Times, signed by Tom Watson, MP, Stephen Fry and technology industry leaders: Sir, We regret that the House of Lords adopted amendment 120A to the digital economy bill (“Bill will censor internet, providers claim”, March 6). This amendment not only significantly changes the injunctions procedure in the UK but will [...]
A nice article that summarises the latest development in the campaign against the Digital Economy Bill. Fantasies of flip-flop on filesharers A rash of reports fantasise today that the government has “dumped” or “abandoned” plans to boot the most persistent illegal filesharers off the internet. The source of the reports is a sentence in a [...]
If you want to know our online future, ask a musician, writes John Naughton in the Observer. Naughton cites an interview David Bowie had with the New York Times eight years ago, where he said: “I don’t even know why I would want to be on a label in a few years because I don’t [...]
The Digital Economy Bill currently passing through the Committee Stage at the House of Lords is trying to help foster digital innovation and protect the rights of content creators. There has been significant discussion over the legislation, particularly in relation to copyright infringement such as the transfer of files to other people over the Internet [...]
Charles Dunstone, the chief executive of Carphone Warehouse, has said he could be prepared to fight the Government in court should the anti-piracy clauses of the Digital Economy Bill become legislation. Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Dunstone, whose company owns and operates the internet and telephony provider TalkTalk, said he refused to send his customers [...]
By Charles Dunstone, featured today as the Daily Mail’s Monday View. The Digital Economy Bill is one of the few pieces of legislation the government is actively pushing through parliament before an election is called. Its aim is to build Britain’s telecommunications backbone and to pave the way for a world-beating digital economy – [...]
A computer programmer who ran one of the world’s biggest pirate music websites from his bedroom was cleared of defrauding thousands of pounds from artists yesterday, writes Murray Wardrop for the Telegraph. Alan Ellis, 26, was accused of “ripping off” record labels and musicians on a “large scale” by running Oink, a music file sharing website [...]
TalkTalk has branded U2 windbag Bono’s intervention in the debate over illegal filesharing “outrageous”, after he said efforts to block child pornography showed ISPs should be doing more to protect intellectual property, writes Chris Williams in the Register. You can read Williams’ full analysis on the Register. Meanwhile, our blog post earlier has been reported on [...]
