Official Ares Free Download

p2pnet news view P2P | Politics:- Britain’s spy and police agencies have in effect come out in support of file sharers.

The UK government is twisting and turning in its efforts to please the entertainment industry by finding a way to impose the same Three Strikes anti-P2P plan that’s giving Hollywood and Big music lobbyist Nicolas Sarkozy so much trouble in France.

The plan would have governments such as Sarkozy’s performing as taxpayer-supported Hollywood and Big Music agencies, and ISPs functioning as online copyright police.

After months of bitter controversy, the Trois Grèves law been ‘passed’ in France and now it remains to be seen who Sarkozy’s administration answers to: the French people, or Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music, and Disney, News Corp, Time Warner, Viacom, NBC Universal and Sony Pictures.

The same question is begging in the UK where lord Peter Mandelson is touting the scheme on behalf of the cartels.

It calls for alleged copyright infringers to receive two warnings and if they fail to toe the corporate line, to be unilaterally disconnected from the internet.

However, reports the Times Online, the police and intelligence services are, “calling on the Government to drop plans to disconnect persistent internet pirates because they fear that this would make it harder to track criminals online”.

Mandelson, the business secretary, “has vowed to use the Government’s forthcoming Digital Economy Bill to introduce new measures to fight illegal file-sharing of music and films,” says the story, going on:

“He has also proposed that persistent pirates should have their internet connections suspended temporarily.

“But The Times understands that both the security services and police are concerned about the plans, believing that threatening to cut off pirates will increase the likelihood that they will escape detection by turning to encryption.

“Law enforcement groups, which include the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca) and the Metropolitan Police’s e-crime unit, believe that more encryption will increase the costs and workload for those attempting to monitor internet traffic. One official said: ‘It will make prosecution harder because it increases the workload significantly’.”

MI5 and MI6 have, “also voiced concerns about disconnection,” says the story, continuing:

“Lord Mandelson’s intervention came two months after the Government’s Digital Britain report, published in June, failed to back disconnection. Instead, it proposed giving Ofcom, the media watchdog, powers to direct internet service providers to block pirate websites or ‘throttle’ connection speeds.

“It is understood that the Digital Economy Bill will specify a list of technical measures that can be deployed against illegal file-sharers, but it is not yet clear whether account suspension will be included.”

But a unique new group, comprising music fans and music makers, insists techology measures aren’t the answer and won’t work.

The initiative, “is taking on the diplomatic and negotiation approach whereas governments and legislators are hitting down punitive policies on their citizens,” says ZDnet, going on: »»»

Jon Newton of p2pnet, alongside Billy Bragg, musician and director of the Featured Artists Coalition, have begun work on a2f2a.com (artist-to-fan-to-artist), a campaign started to discuss how artists can cut out the middleman — such as the suicide inducing RIAA — and ensure artists are fairly remunerated.

Along with their mission statement, the efforts seem to be focused towards not only admitting there is no technological solution to the problems artists already face, but that users would be ‘willing to pay for music if they can be sure that the money is going to the artists whose work they enjoy’.”

But the music industry is, “desperate for the Government to adopt the suspension plans,” says Times Online, stating, “It has mounted a lobbying effort and believes that Lord Mandelson will follow through on his proposals.”

However, it goes on, “some industry figures believe that account suspension is a ‘poison pill’ that will have to be jettisoned to get any measures through Parliament in what will be a tight legislative timetable before next year’s election”.

And a new YouGov poll suggests the public are strongly against the proposals with nearly 70% saying anyone suspected of ‘illegal’ downloading should have a right to a trial in court before restrictions on internet use were imposed.

Only a tiny 16 per cent were in favour of the draconian Three Strikes plan.

In addition,  culture secretary Ben Bradshaw no says “controversial measures to tackle illegal file-sharing will be watered down,” according to the Guardian, which goes on:

“He told the House of Commons culture, media and sport committee that rights holders will have to obtain a court order before punishing persistent offenders by reducing or cutting off their internet connections.

“Earlier this year, business secretary Lord Mandelson said that internet service providers would be forced to hand over information on customers who used illegal sites heavily to music companies and film studios so that they could take action.”

Bradshaw also said  anyone targeted would also have the right to appeal against the decision.

Meanwhile, the far that “pirates will increase the likelihood that they will escape detection by turning to encryption” is already at the least a day too late and a dollar too short.

Stay tuned.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Times Online – MI5 comes out against cutting off internet pirates, October 26, 2009
ZDnet – Universities in hot water over students’ peer-to-peer sharing, October 25, 2009
watered down – UK backs away from 3 strikes plan, October 21, 2009
Guardian – Government measures against illegal file-sharing to be watered down, October 20, 2009

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