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UK government to increase online copyright penalties

13 August 2008 13:58 by Andre "DVDBack23" Yoskowitz | 10 comments

According to a new Government and the Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) consultation paper, the government plans to raise the maximum penalty for online copyright infringement from �5,000 to �50,000.

The new, larger fine would only be for commercial-scale infringement however, when the person actually profited from the accused infringement.

"This consultation takes forward Gowers Review recommendation 36, which recommended matching penalties for online and physical copyright infringement by increasing sanctions for online infringements," said the UK-IPO in a statement. The Gowers Review is a 2006 report by former Financial Times editor Andrew Gowers that has so far been a basis for intellectual property policy.

"Several submissions have called for a change in the law to increase online infringement penalties to the levels of physical infringement," Gowers had said in his report. "The intention and impact of physical and online infringement are the same. Crimes committed in the online and physical world should not be subject to different sentences. Increasing the penalties for online infringement will therefore make the law more coherent."

The UK-IPO agreed, and said its consultation paper that the new move will help them combat commercial-scale infringement better.

"Our investigations concluded that introducing exceptional summary maxima fines would allow magistrates� courts to deal effectively with copyright offences as they would be able to award fines that took account of the illegal profits made from such offences," read the paper.

You can read the full consultation paper here: Government and the Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) consultation paper.

Permalink to this article | Topic: Lawsuits & Legislation

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Warner wants to shutdown Mygazines over copyright infringement (17 August 2008)

Ray Beckerman urges defense lawyers to go after MediaSentry (13 August 2008)

Judge lowers fines for suspected file sharer (12 August 2008)

Judge limits RIAA damage award for "Innocent Infringement" (11 August 2008)

African narcotics officers now set to go after pirates (10 August 2008)

'Assassin's Creed' leak leads to lawsuit (8 August 2008)

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Discuss this article!
DXR88 (Senior Member) 13 August 2008 14:04
RIAA are losing control this is a money pull tactic, if we cant milk money out of American citizens no more. lets call are butt buddies in other country's to get more monies. thats how greed thinks. if we cant get it out of you will get it some where else. [ + quote]
Mik3h (AfterDawn Addict) 13 August 2008 17:15
The Government plans to increase online copyright penalties, but it probably won't go through. [ + quote]
varnull (Inactive) 13 August 2008 17:24
You hope so anyway Mikey ;) It's another political topic that we aren't allowed to comment on apparently. [ + quote]
pensfan12 (Newbie) 14 August 2008 1:58
*Originally posted by DXR88:* RIAA are losing control this is a money pull tactic, if we cant milk money out of American citizens no more. lets call are butt buddies in other country's to get more monies. thats how greed thinks. if we cant get it out of you will get it some where else. RIAA = Recording Industry Association of AMERICA. Not UK;) [ + quote]
13thHouR (Inactive) 14 August 2008 5:00
*Quote:* *Originally posted by DXR88:* RIAA are losing control this is a money pull tactic, if we cant milk money out of American citizens no more. lets call are butt buddies in other country's to get more monies. thats how greed thinks. if we cant get it out of you will get it some where else. RIAA = Recording Industry Association of AMERICA. Not UK;) the UK form of the RIAA is the BPI or the IFPI but its exactly the same companies. # Sony BMG Music Entertainment # Universal Music Group # Warner Music Group # EMI The aa trade body names are there to protect the real culprits from bad press, and loss of business. if you realised it was sony, universal, warner and emi, would you still be so easily persuaded to purchase their wares? [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 14 August 2008 5:04**
varnull (Inactive) 14 August 2008 8:02
The people I master for are Russians.. If they get busted they will get bail and flit, then some other Russians will replace them. I think we have here another case of government doublespeak. I noticed the "knock off nigel" public "information" (threat) films vanished immediately it came out the 3 strikes had been knobbled by our letter writing campaign. We need to keep the pressure on these MP's.. They are unpopular enough and feeling insecure. If you feel paranoid about exposing your name and address to a corrupt politico then use a neighbours details, just so long as you know they vote ;) Free open source software = made by end users who want an application to work. An engineer with a single tool in his toolbox is an idiot, not an engineer [ + quote]
susieqbbb (Inactive) 14 August 2008 8:24
Problem!!! Bit-torrent backdoors. I am sorry to say because users can change there ip addresses and mask there traffic how in the heck do you expect to find these users when you couldn't find a hole in a paper bag to begin with and you really haven't stoped piracy in the u.k at all because what is stoping people from purchasing illegal software in other countrys and making copys of it and selling them sure go after online piracy but with several backdoors including rapidshare and others you really are not going to stop anything this is a band aid tactic to a problem that you cannot control and cannot keep track of. [ + quote]
emugamer (Member) 14 August 2008 11:56
At least it's only for infringement with the intent of profit at the expense of the copywrite owner. [ + quote]
varnull (Inactive) 14 August 2008 13:37
Profit can be seen as "avoiding paying" Free open source software = made by end users who want an application to work. An engineer with a single tool in his toolbox is an idiot, not an engineer [ + quote]
ZippyDSM (AfterDawn Addict) 16 August 2008 14:55
they never good force the government to enforce public performance and discussion of media, now they can because of the internet, aint life lulzy! [ + quote]