Darkness2k Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 (edited) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3567417.stm Court threat to UK song swappers Almost 2,000 downloaders in the US have already been sued The UK's record industry has issued illegal music downloaders with a warning that they must stop pirating music or face action in the courts. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has said 7.4 million people in the UK are swapping songs online illegally. "It is causing real financial damage to everyone involved in the business," said BPI chairman Peter Jamieson. A new instant messaging campaign on the internet will be used to warn users they are obtaining music illegally. 'Serial' offenders It will tell downloaders they should disable their file-sharing software - or face court action. The BPI has blamed a small number of "serial uploaders" for making thousands of music files available for sharing over the internet illegally. George Michael sees his future in legal downloads BPI chairman Peter Jamieson said there was "no excuse whatsoever" for music being taken without permission. The UK was at the forefront of developing legal downloading technology, he added. Other figures in the music industry are welcoming the BPI's stance against illegal song swapping. Alison Wenham from the Association of Independent Music said: "We endorse this campaign to warn them of the action they open themselves up to." Andy Ross, managing director of record label Boss Music said the trend for people helping themselves to music must be stopped. "A business acquaintance has a teenage son who has downloaded 10,000 tracks and never paid for music in his life. This cannot continue," he said. Kazaa users will be greeted with this warning message Broadcaster and music expert Paul Gambaccini pointed out flagging music sales in the US has been bolstered by legal music downloads. "Inexpensive paid downloads have resuscitated the US singles market, and two million sales per week are already being recorded," he said. Music artists are also keen to embrace sharing their work via downloads - George Michael recently announced he would concentrate on releasing new material solely on the internet. 'Spending down' The BPI also claims this is having a knock-on effect on sales of CD albums and singles. Downloaders' spending on albums has slid by 32% in the past year, with singles hit by 59%, the organisation said. The BPI has said it could use two areas of the law to prosecute illegal downloaders. The 1988 Copyright, Patents and Designs act says the music's owner has exclusive rights to its content, and it is up to them when they decide it should be made available to the public. The move follows the latest wave of copyright lawsuits in the US, where a further 532 people were sued on Tuesday - taking the total to 1,977. Edited March 25, 2004 by Darkness2k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+John Teacake MVC Posted March 25, 2004 MVC Share Posted March 25, 2004 George Michael sees his future in legal downloads What Future ha ha :laugh: :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretforce Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 this is gonna be on ITV news in a second.. I will post what they say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+John Teacake MVC Posted March 25, 2004 MVC Share Posted March 25, 2004 Yep I'm watching it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretforce Posted March 25, 2004 Share Posted March 25, 2004 Didnt say much.. Anit gonna be know RIAA over here, just ads. They had a ipod in the window :o are they saying im a pirate tut tut mycokemusic.com ive been on alot cause coke are giving away music on cans. Havnt got a song yet and ive tried about 40 codes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkness2k Posted March 25, 2004 Author Share Posted March 25, 2004 I don't know if they are targetting other programs like edonkey/emule or Bittorrent downloads... plus can they get past things like Peerguardian? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkness2k Posted March 26, 2004 Author Share Posted March 26, 2004 We'll just have to see how this plays out I guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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