British Government Considers Tenfold Increase To Copyright Penalty

Out-Law is reporting that the British government is planning to increase the maximum fine that can be awarded for online copyright infringement tenfold. "The Government and the Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) are consulting on the plans, which would allow Magistrates' Courts in England and Wales to issue summary fines of £50,000 for online copyright infringement. The larger fine is proposed for commercial scale infringements, where the person involved profits from the infringement. The plan would implement another of the recommendations of the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property, the 2006 report by former Financial Times editor Andrew Gowers which has been the foundation of intellectual property policy since its publication."

Funny acronym

[sm62704]

UKIPO? Is that pronounced "uki-po"? I'd be embarrassed to work for them, even if the job itself wasn't a disgrace.

Re:Why is it always the UK?

[Anonymous Coward]

Antarctica?

Re:Why is it always the UK?

[ivan256]

I could make you a list, but you be dismayed to find it full of countries that have already achieved outright fascism...

Re:The Gowers Report is well worth reading

[IamTheRealMike]

where I learned that in 1999, 90% of companies spent less than 10% of their R&D budget on licensing, but by 2009, that figure had dropped to only 10% of companies spending less than 10% on licensing. Wow.

Wow indeed. I guess the licensing on time travel is pretty damn expensive ;)