Illegal file-sharing is a debate with no middle ground. Content owners would have you believe that people who illegally download music, films and games threaten the future existence of the creative industries.
In contrast, those who seek to legalise file-sharing claim the technology allows artists to reach a much wider audience, significantly bolstering their potential earnings.
The debate rages from drama to farce, but it’s undoubtedly touching more lives. Thousands of letters have dropped on doormats demanding the recipients pay fines of up to £600 for illegally downloading games, and while people have protested their innocence, many argue they’ve been failed by a legal system still coming to terms with the technology.
File-sharing: the facts
In this feature, we’ll examine the issues surrounding illegal file-sharing, and try to answer the most common questions people have.
We’ve talked to lawyers and academics, and read hundreds of pages of reports in an effort to present an unbiased account of the impact of illegal file-sharing, and whether we’re best banning it, or embracing it.
Finally, you can hear from Geoff Taylor of the BPI and Andrew Robinson, leader of the Pirate Party UK, who present their arguments on the threat and merits of file-sharing.
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