Legal Scholars Warn Against 10 Year Prison For Online Pirates

An anonymous reader writes: The UK Government wants to increase the maximum prison sentence for online copyright infringement from two years to ten. A number legal experts and activists are pushing back against the plan. One such group, The British and Irish Law, Education and Technology Association (BILETA) has concluded that changes to the current law are not needed. "legitimate means to tackle large-scale commercial scale online copyright infringement are already available and currently being used, and the suggested sentence of 10 years seems disproportionate," the group writes.

Comments

America tried long prison sentences

[gurps_npc]

It cost a lot of money, destroyed productive individuals lives, led to people pleading guilty to lesser charges even when they were innocent, and most importantly, did not discourage the crime.

Fear of longer prison sentences does not in any way affect the decision to commit a crime.

With regards to online piracy, the people involved generally do not consider it a crime and so do not consider the legal ramifications. It's kind of like if you went to North Korea, you won't be less inclined to give out a bible if they tell you it's 10 years than if they say 1 year in jail.

Re:Won't do a thing.

[BlueStrat]

Mod parent up; even the death penalty wouldn't stop it, it's so commonplace that once half the population is in jail; a military coup would ensue.

The point isn't to put everyone in jail, the point is to put anyone in jail.

Turn everyone into criminals and you legally put anyone of them in jail when they are inconvenient for whatever reason.

"Did you really think we want those laws observed?" said Dr. Ferris. "We want them to be broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against... We're after power and we mean it... There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of law-breakers - and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Reardon, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with."

- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

Yeah, yeah. "Objectivist", blah blah blah.

For being so wrong she is proving to have been remarkably prescient.

Strat

Re:Hmm..

[hairyfeet]

Not if you want a lot of dead cops.

That is what we found in the states when they started giving out insane terms for people with drugs, it quickly got to the point the criminal was better off just shooting the cop and having a chance to escape than getting arrested and taking the time. after all if they are gonna give you life regardless, why not just shoot the cop and take your chance with escape? Hell if the cop doesn't die and you get rid of the drugs before you are caught you'll get less time than just getting arrested with the drugs so why would you not shoot the cop?

That is all insane sentences for non violent crimes gets you, it quickly gets to the point you are better off just shooting the cop and using the time that buys you to get rid of the evidence.