October 15, 2004 Legal action against music file sharersOrganisation: BPI
Analysis and commentary by Echo Research. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) wielded a double-edged sword as it announced legal actions against 'major uploaders' of its music. Prolific online pirates had been warned that their activity was 'illegal and harmful' via the group's automated messaging system. "We have resisted legal action … [and] done everything we can to raise awareness", asserted BPI chairman Peter Jamieson (Guardian, 8/10). Legally, BPI stands on solid ground, the law taking a dim view of intellectual property infringements. The danger is that the accused may be hard-core music lovers, with a raft of legally-purchased merchandise or, worse, technically savvy children with a penchant for tunes on the net. "Illegal downloaders or music's best customers?"(netimperative.com, 8/10) BPI executives are taking a calculated risk, with action based on anonymous IP addresses rather than names and run the risk of falling foul of "political correctness"(Times, 8/12) if minors emerge as the culprits. BPI claimed "we're not in it to win a popularity contest"(Silicon.com, 7/10), but with critics likening its tactics to "posturing and spitting like … schoolyard bullies"(Guardian, 8/10), perhaps it should accept that: "The rules have changed, guys"(Times, 8/10) and "nurtured the legal market instead of cracking down on the illegal one"(silicon.com, 7/10).
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