Are MPs simply encouraging more illegal downloads?

The Digital Economy Bill, set up by the government to discourage users to access copyright-protected material through peer-to-peer (P2P) applications will have end up having exactly the opposite effect – that’s the warning of internet service provider TalkTalk who today aired its views at a meeting of MPs and Peers in Westminster.

Rather than stop users downloading copyright-protected material for free TalkTalk is concerned the measures put forward in the Digital Economy Bill will simply spur web developers to design tools which will make it even easier for people to access music, films and other copyright-protect content.

At the moment there are already a few new tools available to content-hungry web users. Research by the BPI has suggested people are already migrating away from traditional P2P tools (which the government plans to monitor, albeit at great expense) in favour of these new methods.

These alternative methods include:

• Applications which scan thousands of internet radio stations, and in a few hours download tracks from selected artists and then catalogue them
• Services which conceal users’ IP addresses, allowing them to download material without detection
• Websites which stream “pay to view” sporting events broadcast outside the UK
• Tools which allow users to ‘rip’ content from TV/music services such as iPlayer

In an attempt to make MPs and Peers aware of these alternative tools and applications they were given the opportunity to see them in action today at a Principles and Practicalities of Copyright Protection briefing. Those in attendance were also given the chance to hear the views of four organisations – Which?, Liberty, Consumer Focus and Open Rights Groups – all of whom have concerns about the damaging effect of the Digital Economy Bill on human and consumer rights.

Worried the Digital Economy Bill will only be good for encouraging developers to work on new methods for users to source copyrighted material for free, Charles Dunstone, chief executive of TalkTalk gave this word of warning: “The measures in the Digital Economy Bill will hasten the migration away from P2P, ignite the development of new tools and popularise the notion that stealing content is socially acceptable, akin to breaking the speed limit by one or two miles per hour.” He added: “The inevitable consequence of persisting with this legislation will be to increase the moral chasm between labels and fans and between government and citizens.”

Keen to point out TalkTalk does not “encourage, condone or profit” from copyright infringement, Dunstone criticised the Digital Economy Bill as a futile project which would “only hasten the development of more beneath-the-radar tools and applications”.

On finding an alternative solution for protecting copyright Dunstone suggested: “Record labels and film studios need to find new ways of persuading fans to pay for their content. Those that can’t find new ways of making money in the digital age won’t survive. They will be replaced by new ventures which see the online environment as an opportunity rather than a problem.”

TalkTalk is currently hosting a petition on the Number 10 website opposing the Digital Economy Bill which has so far attracted 32,000 supportive signatures.
 

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