Legalize File Sharing, Say Swedish MPs

CrystalFalcon writes "In the past week, the file sharing debate has exploded in Sweden, with numerous mainstream politicians finally having understood the issue. Last week, seven Swedish MPs wrote a prominent opinion piece saying that fully legalized file sharing is not just the best solution, it's the only solution. Now their number has increased to 13, and the issue continues to grow. Good summaries at TorrentFreak and P2P Consortium. Original opinion piece in English here."

Erhm... Astonishment, Joy, Eyebrow-rising...

There's no emoticon for what I'm feeling.

Proud of Sweden

I'm very proud to live in the Sweden now. Proud of the nation of Pirates! So if you mpaa or riaa are planing to invande Sweden, think again! We will fight to the last man. Yarr!

That is the democratic way of dealing with it

After all, in a democratic country, if a very large percentage of the population willingly infringes a law, there is a very strong case that the law is wrong, not the people. So I guess in any (truly) democratic country file-sharing and similar attitudes regarding "intellectual property" should be legal.

Re:That is the democratic way of dealing with it

Exactly. If a large enough percentage of the population wants the law to change, they will simply vote in new politicians.

Most of the time, the existing politicians sense this is about to happen ahead of time, and change the law themselves.

That's how democracy works. Or at least, how it's supposed to work.

Because it's the right thing to do

I agree, but not only because there are so many people pirating, but simply because this is the right thing to do. It's not about pirating or saving a few bucks: one of the primary reasons for the existence of nations is to contribute to the diffusion and development of culture (I live in Italy and here we have this clearly written in one of the first articles of our constitution; the proposed European constitution says pretty much the same thing).

Copyright was established as a state-created monopoly, for a limited time, to encourage the creation and diffusion of artistic works. Not to guarantee an endless stream of money to the MAFIAA lawyers. It's pretty clear that the creation and diffusion of art, music, movies, books, etc. is doing pretty well today (probably better than any other period in human history!) despite, and sometimes thanks to, the huge diffusion of filesharing and piracy.

So there's no need to outlaw it. It's that simple: copyright isn't a law of nature, it was accepted as a compromise to achieve an end and can be changed if necessary.

Re:That is the democratic way of dealing with it

Yes, people speed.
That doesn't mean they don't support the laws against speeding. They usually accept that there has to be a law against it, they just choose to violate it and accept the penalty.

With filesharing people do not agree they are committing a crime.

Re:That is the democratic way of dealing with it

Of course it does. Morality is not something engraved in stone tablets. It is something defined by society. Is having sex under 18 moral ? Is drinking beer ? How about eating pork ? Owning a gun ? Morality is ONLY defined by the society.

There are many reason (that have nothing to do with morality) why slavery is not a good idea. Same about many other "morality" related issues. Many times, morality is just a guise, and there are other reasons. The same applies about copyright. I'm sure most /.ers agree with limited term copyright. Copyright is not about morality. It has a use. These days, we keep seeing it being abused.

What percentage of people share files?

It would be really interesting to know what percentage of computer users share files...? In my informal surveys, the figure is really high, 80-90%, and the people who do not share files don't do it simply because they don't care, or don't know how.

I have never, once, found someone who actually states that they have a moral principle against it.

The whole "piracy is theft" campaign seems as empty as the "don't smoke pot" campaign. People will do it, and just find ways of not getting caught.

Not surprised

It seems that any actual societal progress comes from Europe these days, while the US is sinking deeper into a Republican/corporate mire. This is just another example.

Carefull sweden, you got WMD

Weapons of mass distribution are found in sweden, US pledges to liberate the citizens.

Anyone else think that some one at the media forgot to pay swedish politicians? Don't worry, it will soon be corrected when the politicians all of sudden find they aren't invited to any media social events.

Why Don't More Understand It?

"Politicians who play for the antipiracy team should be aware that they have allied themselves with a special interest that is never satisfied and that will always demand that we take additional steps toward the ultimate control state."

It boggles my mind that there aren't more politicians who have figured out this gem of wisdom. Restricting the rights and freedoms OF YOUR VOTERS for the benefit of a corporation or trade organization, who will never be happy and will continue to push for more and more restrictions and limitations, is a sure way to decrease your chances of being re-elected...

Attn: Sweden

Please re-seed. I'm stuck at 67%.

Are we all singing off the same songsheet

FTA:

Decriminalizing all non-commercial file sharing and forcing the market to adapt is not just the best solution. It's the only solution, unless we want an ever more extensive control of what citizens do on the Internet.

That's not the same as the synopsis:

Last week, seven Swedish MPs wrote a prominent opinion piece saying that fully legalized file sharing is not just the best solution, it's the only solution.

Now, I RTFA and it reads to me that he feels that the media/IP industries will never be satisfied with what the state does and that he doesn't feel it's the states place to police the Internet. Both of these are admirable and sensible statements, in line with what many people actually think.

But I really don't think he is advocating Sweden as some sort of torrent haven as some posters seem to be suggesting.

Re:Are we all singing off the same songsheet

Yes, he means that all noncommercial (i.e. not-for-profit) file sharing should be fully legalized, i.e. that nobody must be allowed to monitor and police the Internet for copyright infringements.

As I have met the man in question, I am well aware of his points and arguments.

Re:Sure,

Actually they recently criminalized _buying_ sexual services. Selling therm is still legal, though.

Re:Sure,

I do not earn money from copyright laws, but that is not the point. You see, The media industry is ripping of you too.

A CD here in stockholm cost more or less 150 SEK, of that about 10 SEK go to the copyright holders. If I want to buy a song online, the price at www.ahlens.se is 12.90 SEK.

From that I can easily see that although the distribution-cost practically has vanished, the media industry still want the same price for the music. They are ripping us of. A fair price for an album would be 30 SEK, 10 SEK for the distributor and 20 SEK for the artist. And a fair price for a song would be 3 SEK.

The problem with the copyright law is that it allow these abuses, and it enables the media industry to undermine our integrity and rights society through spending vasts amount on lobbying.

That is why copyright is Evil.

Re:Sure,

God, I hate pseudo-arguments like this; taking one aspect of the argument and spinning it, but ok, I'll bite

a) worked on many different TV shows
b) worked for a record company
c) have a couple of patents
and d) I write.

Of course, you'd know of d alrady - I wrote the piece for TorrentFreak.

The point of the pieces through, isn't abolishing copyright, returning to anarchy, but instead that attempting to criminalise a large section of the population, because an industry hasn't moved on, nor learned from past attempts (with the VCR and MP3 players specifically mentioned).

I just hope your writing is a damned sight better than your reading comprehension.

Third largest exporter of music

I'm sorry, but your statement has no basis in fact. Sweden is the world's third largest exporter of music.

Re:Hmm, maybe..

I think NO penalties for ignoring copyright infringement is a bad idea,

I'm a bit confused about what you mean here.
Who is ignoring copyright infringement and should be penalized for it?

The pirates today are _performing_ infringement.
The Swedish MPs in question want to change the law so that it is _not_ an infringement.
In free countries it is not normal to punish civilians for ignoring the petty crimes of their fellow citizens.
Is it the law enforcers you want to punish, than, if they fail to crack down on file-sharers?

Re:Hmm, maybe..

You are correct. However, my preferences would be to change the law to:

a) Force the party suing people to first prove they know the exact person who infringed the copyright - it's kind of like those speed cameras. Since they can't tell who was driving, the fine is $40, no points, and by law they can't be used by insurance companies to raise fees.

b) The punishment matches the crime - If you share a electronic copy of a CD, the retail price is about $8-10, as determined by the market. That would be the maximum punishment. If this is someone who has never been convicted of sharing copyrighted materials, there would be no punishment for a "first offense".

c) The fines/fees from any punishment would be used to fund the arts - this allows the RIAA/MPAA to put their money where their mouths are. They keep saying they're protecting the artist (RIAA), or that every time a movie is copied, then a stuntman or gaffer is put out of work. Well, this allows the arts to flourish, and deters people from sharing copyrighted material.

d) so-called "intellectual property" will be treated as real property, including the levy of "property tax" on the fair market value of the so-called "intellectual property". This would encourage artists and companies to maximize the value of productive property and abandon property that is not productive.

   

Re:So much for Sweden

You know there is only one way this will end.

Hi! Could you also tell me next week's Powerball numbers?

I'm sorry, that's just bullshit. If what you speculate was anywhere NEAR the mark, the **AA's would have already coerced ISPs to block sites like Pirate Bay. That they haven't should speak volumes about your theory.

Insightful indeed.

Re:So much for Sweden

I have to say, getting EU citizenship is looking more appealing all the time.

A word of warning before crossing the pond:

• Police won't be carrying guns at all times, so they will provide absolutely no protection.
• You'll have to deal with a lot of people who actually know the difference between "their", "there", and "they're". And you might even have to learn a whole new language to deal with those who don't.
• Don't plan to get rich - Even billionaires have to pay taxes here.
• Gun-toting rednecks are few and far between, so don't expect much interesting company. And forget about monster trucks!
• The Germans, Russians and Italians are just waiting for their chance - Don't let all this openness, good food/drink, and friendly faces fool you!
• Most people prefer Belgian or Swiss chocolate to Mars bars, Belgian, Polish, German or Czech beer to Bud, and pasta, sauerkraut, fondue or smoked salmon to a Big Mac.
• In rural places a lot of people don't even lock their doors, so naturally theft, rape and murder are rampant.
• The taxpayers' money is spent on lots of useless stuff - Schools, health insurance and those too lazy to work.

But if this is not too daunting, you're very welcome to join!

Re:Generous with OPM.

Yes and Slashdot is full of cultural connoisseurs.

offtopic grammer nazi

Actually you immigrate to a country, emigrating implies going FROM a country. Use it correctly and the women flock around you at parties.

Offtopic spelling nazi

Actually you write it grammar, grammer implies you don't know how to spell. Use it correctly and...well, women won't flock around you at parties, but English teachers will be less inclined to hit you with bricks.