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Digital Economy Bill: 'There's got to be a better way'

By Alistair Houghton on Apr 8, 10 04:29 PM

THE controversial Digital Economy Bill (DEB) is set to become law within days despite a vigorous online campaign against it.
The bill, backed by the film and music industries, aims to crack down on online copyright infringement.
The Government says the bill could save thousands of jobs by ensuring the creative industries do not miss out on millions of pounds of revenue.
But the bill faced huge criticism for measures designed to stop piracy, including rules that could see people's internet connections cut off for suspected copyright infringement.

The Bill passed its second reading on Wednesday night and is expected to become law within days. Because it was rushed through Parliament in the "wash up" before the General Election, critics also say the Bill has not been properly debated.
Among those that voted against the bill were Knowsley North and Sefton East MP George Howarth and outgoing Walton MP Peter Kilfoyle.
Mr Kilfoyle told LDP Creative: "One of the things that I object to is that it is going to penalise a lot of young people for a simple thing like downloading music. There's got to be a better way of doing this (protecting copyright) than cramming the bill through at the last minute.
"There is a bigger issue than just this bill, which is the tendency of Government to try to push things through that haven't had proper consideration."
Andrew Redfern, director of Hit Search, said the Bill would not help to prevent piracy.
He said: "On the face it makes sense. Copyright holders - ie the entertainment industry - can demand to have details of potential infringements from users of ISPs which may lead to a 'suspect's' account suspension and disconnection.
"However there are many, many problems with this ill thought-out bill.
"The main way of detecting a copyright infringement would be collecting a users' IP address - which is not entirely accurate in the UK. IP Addresses can be spoofed - so watch out for universities, internet cafes and Downing Street all getting banning order in the coming months after the bill is unveiled. Why would you download something which has a copyright infringement when you can do so by spoofing your local school or charity's IP address?
"This was a bill that just 189 MPs voted yes to and is being forced through because of the general election."
Ben Hatton, managing director of Liverpool digital agency Rippleffect, said: "The DEB has caused a big stir between the political parties and was certainly overshadowed by the announcement of the election date.
"The key factor around the Bill's impact will be how well policed the piracy issue is going forward and how 'temporary' the suspension of Internet accounts becomes. There is certainly a question mark over whether such actions will help to regulate the Internet effectively or just cause huge amounts of unnecessary disruption.
"After all the horse-trading needed to pass it through Parliament, there is a good chance we will see more changes to the Bill post May 6, raising further uncertainty."
LDP Creative asked Twitter users what they thought of the DEB.
Artist Nick Jones said: "It's the worst thing that could have happened to UK digital/creative economy - stifled freedom and collective punishment to come."
Web designer Robb Owen, of Liverpool firm Kumori Media, said the passing of the bill was "a show of indifference to wide public criticism".
Photographer Pete Carr said: "It's a horrible, horrible bill."
The bill was backed by the Creative Coalition Campaign, a body formed last year to encourage the Government to combat copyright infringement. Its members include trade union Unite, actors' union Equity, music industry body BPI and film industry trade association UK Screen.
Christine Payne, chairwoman of the Creative Coalition Campaign and general secretary of Equity, said: "The bill will provide much-needed support for our creative talent, and the businesses which have made the UK one of the leading creative economies in the world.
"The challenge now is to make the new system work, so that industry can focus on investing in new business models that can flourish because they don't have to compete with websites illegally streaming content for free and other forms of online piracy.
"Only with this protection will we be able to continue to produce the TV programmes, films, books and music which are loved by people across the UK and throughout the world."

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Ldpcreative.co.uk is a hyperlocal blog site for the creative community in Merseyside. It will operate with a mixture of centrally sourced content as well as community content.

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Alistair Houghton

Alistair Houghton
LDP Business reporter Alistair Houghton brings you the latest news and views from the creative sector in Merseyside. Get in touch if you've got a story you want to tell
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