Brits nabbed on filesharing charges
Free music downloads are everywhere, but up until now, the British general public has not been threatened with the same lawsuits and charges that have been flying around in the US. All that might be about to change, after six Britons were arrested on charges of filesharing.
The six got their free music downloads from the now defunct filesharing website OiNK. The music that was downloaded was done so and shared before its official release date.
It’s not clear what the exact offenses were or why the six were released without charge. It’s also not yet known which songs or albums were the subject of these arrests.
All we know if that five men and one woman were arrested at the end of May.
This could be a sign of times to come in the UK, but the details are so sketchy that it’s difficult to draw any conclusions yet.
European parliament says filesharing is not a crime
Filesharing in Europe received a major boost this week with the announcement that the European Parliament has stated that filesharing should not be a criminal offense. More specifically, downloading copyrighted music and movies should not be punishable by law.
This is fantastic news. The key is here: “Criminalising consumers who are not seeking to make a profit is not the right solution to combat digital piracy.”
Most people who use filesharing to find free music downloads are not doing so for profit; they are doing it because they want to listen to music. It’s not the same as a thief who goes into a shop and steals a CD because he needs money.
This announcement could indicate a shift in opinion as the worldwide filesharing debacle rages on. This report is not binding, but it serves the purpose of putting forward new ideas to the European Commission.