International Music Industry Amps Up Anti-P2P War

newtley writes to mention a BBC article discussing a new initiative against file-sharers by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. This international version of the MPAA is breathing down the necks of 8,000 users of file-sharing software. From the article: "The new cases cover file sharers in 17 different countries who have been allegedly using sites including BitTorrent, eDonkey, SoulSeek and WinMX. For the first time legal action is being taken in Brazil, Mexico and Poland. The IFPI said the actions affect a wide-variety of people: a laboratory assistant has been charged in Finland, while a parson has been served with action in Germany."

Comments

MPAA != RIAA

[ColinPL]

This international version of the MPAA

of the RIAA

Wrong organizations

[klingens]

The IFPI is the international counterpart of the RIAA not MPAA. The MPAA is movies, the RIAA is music, the IFPI is music.

Re:Canadian levies

[lRem]

Also, good luck with suing in Poland. Sharing your music, and breaking the DRM, is perfectly legal here as long as you don't make money (or other material gains) on it.

Re:What Organization?

[AcidLacedPenguiN]

you forgot to mention that they ARE opposed to digital distribution UNLESS it is crippled with DRM to the point that I more than likely WILL have to buy it AGAIN.

Re:Canadian levies

[mark-t]

Copying for personal use is exempt from copyright infringement within Canada, this is true, but this exemption does not apply if one is sharing it with others, which is a key point of P2P services. The levies on blank media here do not exist for the purpose of granting any particular license to copy copyrighted works (for personal use or otherwise), they only exist to compensate the recording industries for such copying. One may ask what possible reason could exists for why they should be compensated for something that's not copyright infringement anyways, but responding to it by doing the wrong thing just because one believes oneself is entitled to do so because one thinks that they are doing something wrong first is at the very least falling prey to the "Tit for Tat" ethical fallacy (which is often expressed as "two wrongs don't make a right").

Re:Boycott... but not everyone

[vertinox]

I own a small record label myself (see my link). Personally, I found it amusing that one of our bands actually made it on Piratebay. Heck... We are getting free publicity.

We are putting together a MP3 website to sell songs through PayPal just because otherwise we'd hav eto deal with Apple's DRM and most of don't like the idea of giving Newscorporation any money through Myspace.

Re:Canadian levies

[alexo]

Copying for personal use is exempt from copyright infringement within Canada, this is true, but this exemption does not apply if one is sharing it with others

Are you sure about that?
Really really sure?
No doubt about it?