MP Says 'Failed' Piracy Warnings Should Escalate To Fines & Jail

An anonymous reader writes with news that, not long after UK ISPs agreed to send piracy notices (Voluntary Copyright Alerts Program), thoughts have already turned toward adding criminal penalties. From the article: Prime Minister David Cameron's IP advisor believes that the carrot needs to be backed up by a stick. In a report published yesterday largely detailing the "Follow the Money" approach to dealing with pirate sites, Mike Weatherley MP says now is the time to think about VCAP’s potential failure. "The Voluntary Copyright Alert Programme (VCAP) is welcomed and will be a good step forward once it is hopefully in operation in 2015, although it is primarily an education tool," Weatherley says. ... "Warnings and fines are obvious first steps, with Internet access blocking and custodial sentencing for persistent and damaging infringers not to be ruled out in my opinion." These suggestions aren't new, but this is the second time in a matter of months that the Prime Minister's closest advisor on IP matters has spoken publicly about the possibility of putting persistent file-sharers in jail.

Comments

False Warnings?

[DERoss]

How about a fine and prison for making a false complaint or warning about a copyright violation?

Totally clueless

[ArcadeMan]

Hey, that guy illegally downloaded a movie that's worth 20$ on DVD.

Let's put him in jail, costing the government thousands of dollars per year.

Aww, I read that wrong

[Opportunist]

For a moment it sounded like asshats sending out frivolous takedown notices via carpet bombing would end up in jail.

Should've known that adding sanity to the mix would be asking too much.

Re:Even better idea:

[fahrbot-bot]

How about we follow the money for him to see if he's getting "contributions" to say this. Perhaps that's why he's using other's ideas.

Remember, it's not bribery, it's a licensing fee.