UK Govt Discusses Plans for P2P Crackdown

[DaBees-Knees]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206901/Mandelson-launches-crackdown-file-sharing--just-days-meeting-record-producer.html

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson is reportedly calling for tougher penalties on illegal file-sharers, a move which comes suspiciously soon after dining with record and film executive David Geffen earlier this month. UK Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, who heads the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and whom ultimately is tasked with implementing the recommendations for dealing with illegal file-sharing as outlined in the Digital Britain report, has reportedly ordered his staff to come up with plans for a crackdown on illegal file-sharers that includes giving ISPs the power to disconnect repeat offenders ala a “three-strikes” graduated response system.

This mean criminalizing the more than 7 million people who reportedly share copyrighted material illegally on a regular basis in the country, and ignoring the report’s suggestion that softer measures, i.e. notifications, which are sufficient enough to “stop or significantly reduce” 70% of illegal file-sharing, be given a chance to work before harsher anti-P2P measures are implemented.

According to the document, Ofcom, the body responsible for regulating ISPs in the UK, would be responsible for keeping tabs on accused file-sharers and handing out fines of up to £50,000 ($81,705 USD), bandwidth throttling, and even disconnection.

This past June, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham, head of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the agency formerly tasked with overseeing the Digital Britain report reccomendations, said the UK govt had all but ruled out disconnecting repeat file-sharers from the Internet, that it considered the measure too “draconian.”

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills says that harsher penalties were only being discussed in case notifications alone didn’t help, and that more meetings on the matter are planned.

However, it’s been pointed out that Lord Mandelson wasn’t very concerned with the matter until recently returning from a holiday spent on the Greek Island of Corfu with none other than David Geffen, billionaire record and film producer and vocal anti-P2P critic. “Until the past week, Mandelson had shown little personal interest in the Digital Britain agenda,” a source at DBIS tells the Daily Mail. “Suddenly Peter returned from holiday and effectively issued this edict that the regulation needs to be tougher.” How’s that for coincidence?

Lord Mandelson denies that P2P was discussed during their Island stay, but surely it had to come up at some point. Either way, with the Pirate Party now officially registered in the UK it’s more important than ever that people make their voices heard.

An election is due soon in the UK and political parties, including the Labour Party, are looking for financial donations from companies like the music and film industry.  I suppose one good turn deserves another in return. Oooops did I say that !!!! 

[GhostShip]

When the government becomes the oppressor of the people rather than its servant then things are likley to get nasty.

[Cobra]

Government seems to have reached a point where they are freaking out over the little things more than the big ones because the little things are easier to put man hours and money into without risking lives. Manage to take every person who does file sharing off of the street (whether you throw them in jail or just keep them away from all computers), and then realize that it does not feel as if anything has changed because the "real" problems still exist.