New UK Law Criminalizes Copyright Violation 31
pdh11 writes "The Register today details the introduction of a new UK law that makes 'communication to the public' of copyright material a criminal, not civil, offence; this means that, whether done deliberately or not, allowing a copyright infringer to copy something from your machine becomes illegal. Even if you morally equate copyright infringement with theft, this is like prosecuting me as an accessory to theft because I left my front door unlocked. How has this, or the EU directive it implements, become law without even debate, let alone outcry?"
How? (Score:3, Insightful)
How has this, or the EU directive it implements, become law without even debate, let alone outcry?
Two words: Greased Palms
Re:How? (Score:2, Insightful)
One effect (Score:3, Insightful)
This might be a problem for emulator sites. The policy of the more reputable ones is to try to get permission to distribute old 8-bit games, but if they can't find the copyright owner, to put the game up until someone complains, then take it down. Under existing law, they are only vulnerable to being sued, and if they comply promptly with requests to remove software, that is not likely to be worthwhile for the copyright owner.
Now they can be prosecuted for distributing some 20 year old spectrum game whose owner they thought was lost in the mists of time...
I'm sure there was a /. story a month or two ago about the BSA or someone sending a cease-and-desist to World of Spectrum for distributing games for which they had been given explicit permission by the copyright owner, but I can't find it.
(I think WoS is actually based in the Netherlands, but it might be here.)