Do We Want ISPs Penalizing Music Fans?

NewYorkCountryLawyer writes "Noted singer songwriter Billy Bragg has written an excellent column in The Guardian, coming out against the pro-RIAA '3-strikes' legislation the big 4 record labels are trying to push through. In the article, entitled 'Do we want ISPs penalizing our fans?', Bragg writes: 'Having failed miserably in previous attempts to stamp out illicit filesharing, the record industry has now joined forces with other entertainment lobby groups to demand that the government takes action to protect their business model.' He goes on: 'Fearful of the prospect of dragging their customers though the courts, with all the attendant costs and bad publicity, members of the record industry have come up with a simple, cost-free solution to their problem: get the ISPs to do their dirty work for them. They are asking the government to force the ISPs to cut off the broadband connection of customers who persistently download unauthorized material, without any recourse to appeal in the courts.'"

Comments

Re:No...

[SerpentMage]

Wow, very good point, and you should be modded...

I for one think that the RIAA should be able to do what they do. Not because I like the RIAA, but because I believe in Open Source...

Remember Open Source relies on copyright. And if people believe in infringing in copyright then what stops a company from infringing the rights of Open Source?

So when the RIAA wants three strikes you are out, I would actually like to apply this to companies that infringe on Open Source copyright!

Think about it, a side benefit of this is that a company like DieBold that infringed could be cut off the Internet! They could not get back onto the Internet! Imagine how fast they might even comply!

So folks think of this as a blessing in disguise...