Who Are The Real Pirates?

'Six of the UK's biggest net providers have agreed a plan with the music industry to tackle piracy online.' (BBC). The plan is to target illegal file-sharers and slow their broadband down, among other things.

Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the BPI, which represents the music industry, said: "All of the major ISPs in the UK now recognise they have a responsibility to deal with illegal file-sharers on their networks."

I don't agree with that. Why should the ISPs take any responsibility for what goes through their pipes? The big recording companies are always keen to claim that it's their artists who are being ripped off but we all know it's their own profits they're really concerned about.

Nothing like this was ever proposed when we all used cassettes and were busy taping stuff for ourselves and our friends. Nor was it proposed when video recorders and players became available. In fact, what other reason could manufacturers have had except to make machines which would copy programmes and films from the TV and other sources?

I can understand why artists and companies want to prevent their products being pirated for profit, ie being downloaded, copied and sold. Where no money is involved, however, I think it's a different matter. This kind of bullying by big companies, lawyers and the damned EU only complicates things.

What we are watching is part of the inevitable move by big business and government to establish total control of the internet. Neither group likes the idea of something as powerful and global as the internet being out of their control. We are well past the beginning of the internet wars in which business, government and vested interests are determinedly depriving the individual and associations of individuals of their freedom to use the internet according to their own desires.