Europe Rejects Plan To Criminalize File-Sharing

Lineker points out a report that the European Parliament has rejected plans to criminalize file-sharing by private individuals. The amendment to remove the anti-piracy measures passed by a vote of 314-297. The decision is expected to influence how France, with its strict anti-piracy polices, approaches this issue when it assumes the EU presidency later this year. From InfoWorld: "France's so-called Oliviennes strategy to combat copyright abuse includes a 'three strikes and you are out' approach: Offenders lose the right to an Internet account after being caught sharing copyright-protected music over the Internet for a third time. The report is significant because it 'signifies resistance among MEPs to measures currently being implemented in France to disconnect suspected illicit filesharers,' the Open Rights Group said in a statement.

Comments

Re:RIGHT?

[NoPantsJim]

I've always been baffled by that myself. What drives me even more nuts is the constant jokes about Canada, and I'm an American. It's always some dumbshit redneck who's never been outside the country who calls Canada "America's hat" without considering that the Canadian dollar is worth more than ours and that he's got less teeth then they have provinces.

I've been to quite a few Canadian cities on hockey trips and I'm seriously considering moving there.

Re:too close for comfort

[Anonymous Coward]

Why do you insist on using a different font? Fucker

Re:The problem with not criminalizing it....

[Mr2001]

Sure.... if you can come up with some way of giving people an incentive to produce new works and receive due recognition for them without somebody else of possibly higher profile coming along and getting all the credit. Currently, that's what copyright does right now. Easy:

1. The incentive to produce new works is the same as the incentive to cut hair, write code, design bridges, or manage companies: getting paid for doing it. As long as there is demand for new works to be produced, there will be people willing to pay for their production. Selling copies is an indirect way to fund that production, but without copyright, it could still be funded directly.

2. Taking credit for someone else's work is fraud. If you say "I wrote this book" when in fact you didn't, that's a lie, and if you say it in a commercial context, it may already be illegal. If not, it could be made illegal on its own without involving copyright.