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In the UK, a Plan To Criminalize Illegal Downloaders

Posted by kdawson on from the naughty-naughty dept.

krou writes "It looks like the launch of the UK Pirate Party came not a moment too soon. The Independent reports that Business Secretary Lord Mandelson is going to take a hard-line stance to preserve copyright after intense lobbying by the music and film industry. 'Under the proposed laws, Ofcom, the industry regulator, would be given powers to require Internet service providers to collect information on those who downloaded pirate material. The data would be anonymous, but serious repeat infringers would be tracked down through their computer ID numbers.' Prospective punishments included restricting internet access, either slowing down an offender's broadband or disconnecting them altogether, and fines up to £50,000. The Pirate Party came out against the scheme, calling it a gross invasion of civil liberties, while Tom Watson, the former minister for digital engagement, spoke out against the move, saying that the government should stop trying criminalize downloaders just so as to 'restore 20th-century incumbents to their position of power,' but should instead be 'coming up with interventions that will nurture 21st-century creative talent.'"

7 of 382 comments (clear)

  1. Mandelson by Canazza · · Score: 5, Funny

    Lord Mandelson. It *is* a villainous name. He's a slimy horrible member of the undead. He just keeps coming back...

    --
    It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for being subtle.
    1. Re:Mandelson by krou · · Score: 5, Funny

      As Frankie Boyle said recently on Mock the Week, "Who made this guy a Lord, the Sith?"

      My other favourite was, "Mandelson's back from his summer vacation - what they don't tell you is he stopped on his way back to visit his parents ... in Mordor."

      --
      'If Christ had tweeted the sermon on the mount, it might have lasted until nightfall.' - John Perry Barlow
    2. Re:Mandelson by d3ac0n · · Score: 4, Funny

      Actually, his name reminds me of THIS.

      --
      Official Heretic from the "Church of Global Warming". Proven right thanks to whistle blowers. AGW = Flat Earth Theory
    3. Re:Mandelson by David+Gerard · · Score: 4, Funny

      Baron Mandelson, 679, of Transylvania, smiled for the cameras, only having to reconstitute himself twice when the flashes dissolved him into dust. "I only enter where I am invited," he said in sepulchral Eurocratic tones. "When I am called upon, I shall return."

      Labour MPs rushed to greet the chief architect of New Labour, many carrying wooden stakes, garlic and crosses.

      Mr Mandelson has had a chequered career in office. Previous Cabinet terms have ended with unfortunate resignations due to being beheaded by angry villagers, burnt at the stake, wrapped in chains and thrown to the bottom of the Volga and, in one case, nuked from orbit.

      --
      http://rocknerd.co.uk
  2. Re:This news is from the 16th by krou · · Score: 3, Funny

    Mandelson denied this report

    Well, that's that settled then.

    --
    'If Christ had tweeted the sermon on the mount, it might have lasted until nightfall.' - John Perry Barlow
  3. Re:You wouldn't steal a car... by sakdoctor · · Score: 3, Funny

    You wouldn't steal a baby.
    You wouldn't kill a policeman, and steal his helmet.
    You wouldn't go to the toilet in his helmet.
    You wouldn't then send the helmet to the policeman's grieving widow.
    and THEN steal it again.

  4. Re:You wouldn't steal a car... by squizzar · · Score: 4, Funny
    The IT Crowd spoofed this beautifully... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALZZx1xmAzg

    If you haven't seen it watch it. I think of it every time I watch a legally purchased DVD and am forced to sit through their propaganda and smile.