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.
More Ares Posts
- Man jailed for filesharing crime
- Filesharing debate rolls on
- Spaniards top the filesharing league in Europe
- Canadians propose Internet tax to compensate filesharing losses
- Reactions to UK’s filesharing clampdown
Posted on 15 April 2008 by Iownmymusic in Filesharing