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Digital Economy Bill criticised by BT big cheese

10 March 2010
By Mof Gimmers

music piracyThe worst thing about music piracy is the people who look at their online thievery as a political gesture... as striking a blow to an imagined man. If they just said "Everyone likes a freebie don't they?", it wouldn't be half as bad.

However, it has become something of a political hot-potato thanks to governments wading in to try and stop people robbing music. They're doing this by waving a bit of paper around with DIGITAL ECONOMY BILL IS GONNA GETCHA written on it in permanent marker.

The debate over illegal file-sharing and how to combat it has seen sensible people stood in the middle, abuse and red tape flying over their heads. They must be wishing both parties would just piss-off and die in a bus-shelter or something.

One thing that the majority agree on is that the Digital Economy Bill is a steaming dung-pile which is neither use nor ornament. The latest person to say so is the boss of British Telecom (who isn't exactly a nice guy, let's be honest).

BT chief executive, Ian Livingston, says illegal file-sharers should be fined rather than having their accounts cut off. He and other industry figures have written to the Financial Times asking for changes to the bill.

Livingston says plans to suspend internet access for file-sharers goes against natural justice and that, instead, fines or a scrap in court would be much fairer.

He said this alternative approach would "create a fund" and "you get some good, rather than getting some hurt out of people infringing copyright".

Feel free to point out BT shortcomings in the comments.

[BBC]

TOPICS:   Technology

BT CODE:  BT: £5 unlimited broadband + £10 Unlimited Infinity 1 weekend calls

10 comments

  • Dave
    I'm still unsure as to why Ian thinks fines would be any easier to enforce than the bans would have been.
    Reply ·
  • Nobby
    There is an easy solution to stopping music piracy. The government should ban all stored music - no CDs, no vinyl, no of this modern mp3 stuff. If you want to listen to Peter Fucking Andre, then you should have to book him, and he could come to your house and do the la-la-la-ing and then fuck off back where he came from. The same system would work for movies too. You want to watch Tootsie, then get Dustin Hoffman to come round your house, mince about in your mum's clothes, then he can fuck off again too. Personally I love Big Band music and I am looking forward to Glenn Miller's body being found and Frankensteined for my listening pleasure.
    Reply ·
  • PaulH
    Nobby for Prime Minister!
    Reply ·
  • Thir13en
    Fine will lead to no loss of business for BT, they get fine, but they still with BT. £££ Banning = more cost for banning, warning and maintanining databse
    Reply ·
  • Klingelton
    Didn't radiohead release an album a few years ago where the only charge was what you wanted to pay for it from a peppercorn to whatever. All artists should adopt this approach. The good ones would still be paid, where the one hit wonders would very quickly fuck off into oblivion where they belong. Here's hoping kesha will join scatman john in one hit wonder oblivion.
    Reply ·
  • Fella-Tio
    @Klingleton she looks like a right dirty bitch though
    Reply ·
  • Klingelton
    she does, but she's a role model to young girls up and down the country and should be strung up and shot, just the same as scatman john brought conversations about scat to my play ground. ich.
    Reply ·
  • zeddy
    @Klingleton [The good ones would still be paid] No they wouldn't and you know it. The world is full of freeloading cunts.
    Reply ·
  • Klingelton
    meh, so why fight it?!
    Reply ·
  • (jah) w.
    I'm going to rape you, your mother, and your wife. But meh, why fight it?
    Reply ·

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