The Digital Economy Bill

Right, I'm right in assuming the majority of you guys are young and use the internet for uses that are less than wholesome (ie you indulge in some music, movies and whathaveyou through p2p networks).

Lord Mandleson is proposing the Digital Economy Bill, a section of which, to all intensive purposes, is to do one thing; serve music labels and movie studios. Essentially, in the section "Online infringement of copyright", if a company claims that someone has broken copyright, and has an IP to "prove" it, then they can, with the passing of this bill, get that person's access to the internet limited within the blink of an eye. Only then do you get to then appeal. This action contravenes the UN's Declaration of Human Rights, Article 11 section 1

Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.

The House of Lords will be debating this tomorrow (Dec 2nd) and massive industry lobbying is taking place to push it through. Click here to send a letter to a Lord to make a valid and reasonable debate in return. If you've got limited letter writing skills, then there's a large letter pre-made for you there.

Thanks for reading bbz.

Shit. Im writing.

ouch, goodbye live sports

People who infringe copyright through illegal downloading in the UK are set to have their names stored on lists under new proposals from communications regulator Ofcom.

The measure, announced today (May 28), is part of Ofcom's proposed code of practice as part of the Digital Economy Act 2010.

The proposed code would only affect the largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs): BT, Talk Talk, Virgin Media, Sky, Orange, O2 and Post Office, though they could be applied to smaller ISPs and across formats including mobile downloads in the future.


Under the code ISPs would have to compile lists of serial copyright infringers. Copyright holders, such as record companies, would be able to ask for access to the lists to take legal action against them.

A three-stage process for copyright infringers has been outlined, with users who receive three notifications of copyright infringement in a year being placed on a list requested by the copyright owner.

Source

Not even a bill now, it's an act so it's been passed which I didn't know about