News

‘Queen’s speech cements file-sharing proposals’ – PCPro

November 19th, 2009

The Government will order ISPs to disconnect file-sharers after receiving two warning letters. The Government has used the Queen’s speech to confirm that it will press ahead with plans to disconnect illegal file-sharers. The measures will be passed as part of the Digital Economy Bill, which will force ISPs to penalise persistent file-sharers. PC Pro [...]

‘Pirate Bay updates peer-to-peer mechanism’ – V3

November 18th, 2009

Pirate Bay changes the system behind its the P2P network. They insist it is nothing to do with a court order. File-sharing site The Pirate Bay has shut down its tracker technology and replaced it with a new form of peer-to-peer network. The group claimed that the move was not down to a court order [...]

“UK.gov denies innocent will be hit by filesharing regime” – The Register

November 11th, 2009

Siôn Simon says “People who have done nothing wrong should not be in any danger of having their internet interfered with at all”. Forthcoming laws to reduce the level of peer-to-peer copyright infringement with threats of disconnection will affect “hardly anybody, other than the most serious and egregious recidivistic offenders”, according to culture minister Sion [...]

“Meet the Beatles… re-recording? Bluebeat claims its downloads are legal” – Guardian

November 9th, 2009

A US download site believes it has found a loophole in the law which would allow it to offer digital downloads. The Beatles songs are available for digital download, apparently legitimately. You have to go to an American site called Bluebeat which has possibly one of the worst download systems ever (a weird Java applet [...]

“EU offers hope to file-sharers” – BBC

November 5th, 2009

Internet users throughout Europe accused of illegal file-sharing are to receive more protection from being cut off by their service provider. The European Parliament and Council is due to make a decision on its Telecoms Reform Package in late November. The package will entitle users in all 27 EU states to be put through a [...]

“Is access to the internet now a human right?” – Times

November 4th, 2009

A service provider is arguing that cutting internet pirates off from cyber space infringes on their basic freedoms. Can checking your e-mail really be a human right? Carphone Warehouse hopes so. After the Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, announced his plans to disconnect persistent internet pirates last week, the owner of Britain’s largest internet service provider, [...]

“Why disconnecting pirates could harm the music industry” – Broadband genie

November 3rd, 2009

It is suggested that Madelson’s plans might do more harm than good to the music industry. Will the Government be cutting of its nose to spite its face if it brings in legislation to disconnect suspect illegal downloaders from their broadband connection? If research released by think-tank Demos is anything to go by stopping illegal [...]

“Illegal file-sharing sites up 300 per cent” – Times

November 3rd, 2009

Attempts to close down illegal file-sharing sites may simply spread the problem more widely. The number of new file-sharing sites hosting unauthorised, copyrighted content rose 300 per cent over the past three months after the popular Pirate Bay site was prosecuted in Sweden, according to research by McAfee, the internet security group. Pirate Bay, a [...]

“Book pirates advance in £5bn war of the internet” – Daily Mail

November 2nd, 2009

The piracy debate doesn’t stop at music. The stakes are high. On one side are the internet pirates who are offering digital copies of the latest bestsellers such as Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol for free. On the other are the authors and publishers who are determined to stop the £5 billion-a-year UK books market [...]

“Illegal downloaders ‘spend the most on music’, says poll” – Independent

November 2nd, 2009

Crackdown on music piracy could further harm ailing industry. People who illegally download music from the internet also spend more money on music than anyone else, according to a new study. The survey, published today, found that those who admit illegally downloading music spent an average of £77 a year on music – £33 more [...]