Internet Providers and copyright
12/07/06 10:48 New
Media
The kerfuffle over
Internet Service Providers being held liable for
people pirating music is an entertaining bit of dirt
- here's the latest
- but if anyone
wants to test it in the courts I'd be very
surprised if they got anywhere.
Yes, an ISP's infrastructure allows someone to exchange copyright-protected files illegally, but then most of that network moves over BT's cabling in the UK. Is anyone asking BT to remove their cabling from the offenders' houses? I think not. And if the ISPs are responsible for someone downloading music they shouldn't then so, surely, is the manufacturer of the computer on which they're doing it. Plus the shop that sold it to them.
ISPs are a soft target but they're not responsible for someone pirating items using their systems. What'll be next, photocopier manufacturers sued for similar copyright breaches?
Yes, an ISP's infrastructure allows someone to exchange copyright-protected files illegally, but then most of that network moves over BT's cabling in the UK. Is anyone asking BT to remove their cabling from the offenders' houses? I think not. And if the ISPs are responsible for someone downloading music they shouldn't then so, surely, is the manufacturer of the computer on which they're doing it. Plus the shop that sold it to them.
ISPs are a soft target but they're not responsible for someone pirating items using their systems. What'll be next, photocopier manufacturers sued for similar copyright breaches?
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