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Brits who download music illegally to receive warning letters

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

July 24, 2008, 3:25 PM

If you live in England and download a lot of copyrighted music, check your mailbox. The British government said Thursday that the recording industry and the country's largest ISPs have agreed on a deal to cut down on piracy through warning letters.

ISPs will identify and send postal letters to the most prolific downloaders, warning them of being detected. What the companies would do next is not yet known, as procedures have not been finalized.

Virgin Media, BSkyB, Carphone Warehouse, BT, Orange, and Tiscali have all signed on to the accord, with the British Phonographic Industry representing the labels. The group will work with Ofcom, the country's media regulator, on additional steps to take for those who ignore the letters.

Initially, the ISPs had argued that they could not be held responsible for the activities of their users. However, when the government threatened to pass legislation to curb file-sharing through legal means, the companies pulled back.

Around 6.5 million Britons are thought to have downloaded pirated material; the government did not specify how many of this group would receive letters as part of the enforcement action.

The recording industry welcomed the news in a statement Thursday. "The UK agreement is a big step towards reaching a solution to online piracy, and it shows that the process of engaging ISPs that was set in motion in France last year is gathering real momentum internationally," said IFPI chairman and CEO John Kennedy.

Other countries including Australia, Denmark, Japan and New Zealand are also launching similar efforts to force ISPs to take more responsibility for the actions of their users, especially when it comes to sharing and downloading illegal content.

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By JanetGilks

edited Sep 4, 2008 - 11:50 AM

I think you simply CAN'T say that all stealing is wrong, for example, if you stole £100 off a poor man/woman, it would hurt them more than if you stole £100 off a extremely wealthy man/woman.
The situation again, is different if it was the poor man/woman who stole from the wealthy man/woman.
Now, think of the poor man/woman as the people who download music for free, and the wealthy man/woman as the one who makes that music.

Score: 0

By dannyman20

edited Jul 25, 2008 - 6:10 PM

I don't see any point about arguing about what is a reasonable price point, audio CDs are lower priced then ever (when you take inflation into account) and this is mostly due to the music industry trying to stop the decline in music sales.

For me the issue here is wether the government should be able to put the emphasis on ISPs to enforce piracy laws on behalf of the BPI, etc. In my opinion they should not do this, this is like putting the blame on car manufacturers for people who drive these cars in a reckless way & making manufactuers install black boxes in every new car to track where we go and report back to the authorities everytime we break a posted speed limit.

Score: 0

By Briantist

posted Jul 25, 2008 - 7:35 AM

It is so funny that the way the British Phonographic Industry want to deal with "piracy" is with spam!

Score: 0

By mdotwills

posted Jul 25, 2008 - 4:07 AM

How do the ISP's verify that it is indeed illegal music being downloaded. I mean, do they only monitor limewire IP addresses?

Score: 0

By Jackanapes

posted Jul 25, 2008 - 2:31 AM

The recording industry would like you all to know that you are all thieves! bagginses! You steal the precious and we hateses you all!

Now please come and buy more Music.

Score: 0

By JanetGilks

posted Sep 4, 2008 - 11:56 AM

The 'thieves' would like to tell the recording industry that they have to accept that there are those who are struggling with money problems and would usually relax themselves by listening to some music, now you have robbed them of that luxury. I don't think many people will start buying music now, as the only reason they did it in the first place was because they couldn't afford to buy music. A large percent people would try to obey the law as best as they can if possible.

Score: 0

By foxfyre

posted Jul 25, 2008 - 5:43 AM

"Now please come and buy more Music."

I think we have found the problem! (Aside from problems with reading and comprehension...)

You need to START buying music!

Score: 0

By Morsel

edited Jul 25, 2008 - 2:28 AM

Stopping piracy is one thing. I mean, okay so bittorrent's gone mainstream and now everyone on the web steals. What was once an underground movement is just gone out in the open and totally out of control. True I agree.

BUT, what about the record industry and what they will do for us? They want to stop people from stealing music so does that mean they are finally ready to lower their darn prices on CDs?

Score: 0

By foxfyre

posted Jul 25, 2008 - 5:48 AM

"BUT, what about the record industry and what they will do for us? They want to stop people from stealing music so does that mean they are finally ready to lower their darn prices on CDs?"

What?
I guess it then follows if we expect you to start thinking and employing logic that we need to go very slowly and use only simple words with you.

Considering inflation over the past 30 years, recorded media prices are lower than they have ever been. Especially if you don't run out and stupidly pay list price which there is absolutely no need to do!

The problem isn't the price, its the dearth of current worthwhile material worth buying. While classic material is readily available for less than $10.

Of course, you could always ask your mommy raise your allowance.

Score: 0

By Morsel

edited Jul 25, 2008 - 1:48 PM

What's up with all this personal bashing again? Who are you trying to outsmart here? Yourself? All I am implying is that big record corporations could see CDs sell for $7.99 and still profit amply. Jerk.

Score: 0

By foxfyre

posted Jul 25, 2008 - 3:45 PM

Another post totally ignorant of cost structure.

Arbitrarily making up price points is cute, but incorrect. How about spending a fraction of the 30 minutes it must have taken you to type your well researched post and use it to research the actual cost structure of hard copy music distribution.

...And out smart you? Really now... LOL!

Score: 0

By Morsel

posted Jul 25, 2008 - 5:14 PM

Dude you're really annoying...will you just die already. Find yourself a girlfriend, get a dog, and just forget it okay? I was wrong to waste your time with my post. I am sorry I didn't research all the actual facts. I am not worthy of your greatness. I will roam now quietly into the night and rethink my life on Betanews.com.

Score: 0

By JanetGilks

posted Sep 4, 2008 - 11:59 AM

To Foxfyre:
I agree with Morsel. Your probably just very rich and don't realise that there ARE those who can't afford what you can, OR your an unsuccessful music artist trying to get more people to buy your music.

Score: 0

By dvferret

posted Jul 24, 2008 - 4:22 PM

"Around 6.5 million Britons are thought to have downloaded pirated material; the government did not specify how many of this group would receive letters as part of the enforcement action."

Sounds to me like a waste of paper.

Score: 0

By WeezulDK

posted Jul 24, 2008 - 4:20 PM

In Soviet Britain, the government downloads YOU.

Score: 0

By Paul Skinner

posted Jul 24, 2008 - 4:27 PM

It's gradually getting that way.
The government desperately needs changing. It would have changed last time if the opposition's leader wasn't dracula.

Score: 0

By not-a-happy-camper

posted Jul 24, 2008 - 3:55 PM

Well I guess the companies have to try to keep the cash flowing into their pockets.....but comparatively little to the artists. The companies have expenses after all. This latest idea will make money for the post office.

Why don't they put all this effort in a different direction: trying to come up with a way to monetize the downloads? Hint...DRM files will not work.

Can anyone remind me if prohibition worked in the US?

Score: 0

By cousinkix1953

posted Jul 25, 2008 - 2:11 AM

"Can anyone remind me if prohibition worked in the US?"

It sure didn't. Now the drug dealers are growing marijuana in national parks and shooting at tourists. Those Amerikans can't even stop illegal aliens (gangsters) from shooting kids with illegal guns which they are supposed to have either. Enforce those laws, hell no...

Score: 0

By foxfyre

edited Jul 24, 2008 - 6:23 PM

Another self entitled Bozo who grants themselves non-existent rights to another's property.

Prohibition huh? And you think that is equivalent to some illegally downloading or sharing files without the compensation of the owners and producers of the material?

Not only did prohibition fail, but evidently so has the education system, genius.

You folks are hilarious, and sad.

Score: 0

By cousinkix1953

posted Jul 25, 2008 - 2:17 AM

I guess you don't care that corporate thieves are ripping off the suckers who bought their 99 cent music downloads from the old MSN music store that stopped working a few months ago. Now Yahoo is doing the same thing. If you patronized those crooks, your songs won't play starting in September either. Refunds? No way. If piracy is the only way to avoid this DRM rip-off then a lot of people are gonna keep on doing it...

Score: 0

By foxfyre

posted Jul 25, 2008 - 5:36 AM

Blah blah blah

What others are doing has no bearing on the fact that individuals are stealing material as well.

Your logic is as utterly ridiculous as you are.

Gee whiz, some guy on TV robbed a liquor store! Why should I have to pay for oranges!

Great illogic dimwit.

Score: 0

By JanetGilks

posted Sep 4, 2008 - 12:16 PM

I think you should stop insulting people, Foxfyre, and at least try to see other points of view.
You might even get what we call friends! You get them if you be nice to people.

Score: 0

By TheNewGuy

posted Jul 24, 2008 - 4:56 PM

In an end-result way, yes, prohibition did work. There was such a demand that bootlegging became a profitable business, and was horribly unregulated. Eventually the good-intention behind prohibition was disregarded as it was leading to more harm than good, and prohibition was repealed.

Score: 0

By Paul Skinner

posted Jul 24, 2008 - 3:45 PM

Again more reason not to be with the large ISPs in the UK.

/demon user

Score: 0

By foxfyre

posted Jul 24, 2008 - 6:25 PM

And another reason not to illegally download media files without compensation to the owners and producers.

But that concept escapes the "but it is free as I have entitled myself to another's work without compensation" nitwits.

Whine on....

Score: 0

By Skizelli

posted Jul 25, 2008 - 12:52 AM

Talk about whiners.

Score: 0

By foxfyre

posted Jul 25, 2008 - 5:40 AM

Poor baby.

But you see, I don't have to worry about receiving letters and crying over the fact that others don't like my stealing from them.

And I am not being sued for doing so.

We just have to listen the repeated whining of @ssholes who knowingly and intentionally break the law cry that they are so stupid to have done so.

Being a victim is just SO hard! LOL! And the really funny thing is that we get to laugh at you!

Maybe laying on the ground and kicking your feet will make your insipid whining over being a poor stupid willful 'victim' will make your case more convincing...

Score: 0

By JanetGilks

posted Sep 4, 2008 - 12:20 PM

So your the kind of person that believes in the law no matter what then? Can't you get your head around the fact that the law is not always right? It's only human nature to take whatever we can at the lowest cost possible, there's no need to be so mean.

Score: 0

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