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Friday, November 20, 2009

Teh Internets Britain's Insane Plan to Deal With Internet Piracy

Posted by Charles Mudede on Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 12:43 PM

Is this the future of the internet?

The British government has brought down its long-awaited Digital Economy Bill, and it's perfectly useless and terrible. It consists almost entirely of penalties for people who do things that upset the entertainment industry (including the "three-strikes" rule that allows your entire family to be cut off from the net if anyone who lives in your house is accused of copyright infringement, without proof or evidence or trial), as well as a plan to beat the hell out of the video-game industry with a new, even dumber rating system (why is it acceptable for the government to declare that some forms of artwork have to be mandatorily labelled as to their suitability for kids? And why is it only some media? Why not paintings? Why not novels? Why not modern dance or ballet or opera?).

So it's bad. £50,000 fines if someone in your house is accused of filesharing.

I find it hard to believe that this law is actually being considered by people with human-sized brains.

Comments (5) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

The people who write these laws also happen to coincide with the people who take fist fulls of cash from the RIAA and MPAA. And don't think that this can't happen here- they're working hard on it as we speak.

Posted by UNPAID COMMENTER on November 20, 2009 at 12:53 PM

Seen The Prisoner on AMC?

Great.

That's the UK right now.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on November 20, 2009 at 1:08 PM

Neanderthals had bigger brains than Homo sapiens. Just saying.

Posted by Simac on November 20, 2009 at 2:03 PM

Ahhh, copyright and the rights of those who create copyrighted material, so misunderstood by losers everywhere.

Posted by Looney Left on November 20, 2009 at 4:54 PM

As soon as the 3 strikes rule becomes law, everyone in the uk should start accusing their lawmakers of copyright infringement. See how long it lasts after parliament gets their internet shut off.

Posted by Arkham