Modern Day Pirates

Internet Piracy

The illegal download of music has become rife in the UK, with statistically more than 50 per cent of the population of Britain engaging in some form of copyright infringement, through involvement in illegal downloads and piracy via online sites such as LimeWire and Pirate Bay.

"Illegal downloading in the UK has become a massive threat to the music and film industries. In 1997, 78 million singles were sold in the UK; last year, it was just 8.6m. It is estimated that half the population has engaged in some sort of nefarious downloading in the last five years."

It is clear that sites such as these allow its users to download music at a discounted rate, and often more than not, for free. This is having a definite detrimental effect on the music industry and sales of records the world over.  This has become such an issue that the charges faced are becoming more and more extreme.

"The penalties for copyright offences depend on seriousness, but at the higher end of the scale it can lead to an appearance before a magistrate where the sanction for distributing unauthorised files is a fine of up to £5,000 or six months' imprisonment. The worst cases may be sent to the Crown Court, which has the power to impose an unlimited fine and up to 10 years' imprisonment."

The majority of sites carry no disclaimers or warnings for their users and thus do not warn of the consequences of their actions. They are in fact breaching copyright by accessing or downloading audio files online.

However the seems to be exceptions in some cases, if the user is able to prove that the files where being downloaded for ‘personal use’ rather than commercial use, meaning that no criminal offence had been committed. The problem then arises as to how you ‘prove’ the files were for personal use  or not. Cyber criminals as they are labelled, can range from your first time users to your nefarious multiple downloaders who turn this into a so-called business selling pirate material for profit.

The question is not only How to stop it?, but also Who is to blame?

The best course of action is always to cut it off at the head, and in this case it is the sites and uploaders themselves who should holster the blame.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has scored a court victory against the LimeWire file-sharing network. A US court ruled that LimeWire is liable for copyright infringement on its networks. A final cash penalty has not yet been determined. The court found that LimeWire had allowed users to traffic in copyrighted content, and had not taken appropriate measures to prevent users downloading the files.The RIAA, which had brought the case forward, applauded the ruling as a victory for copyright holders.

"The court's decision is an important milestone in the creative community's fight to reclaim the internet as a platform for legitimate commerce," said RIAA chief executive Mitch Bainwol.

"By finding LimeWire's chief executive personally liable, in addition to his company, the court has sent a clear signal to those who think they can devise and profit from a piracy scheme that will escape accountability." The decision is the latest in a legal battle between file-sharing networks and the RIAA that has dragged on for more than a decade.