COPYRIGHT

Making punishment fit the crime
BBC columnist Bill Thompson asks how severely we should punish those who infringe copyright.


Some suspected copyright pirates could have their net connection pulled
Making laws in the European Union is a long, complicated and often tedious process that involves a delicate ballet featuring the Council of Ministers, the Parliament and the Commission.
Before a Directive is passed there will be numerous committees, occasional votes, multitudinous amendments and many, many occasions for lobbyists, campaigning groups and special interests to try to influence things in their favour.
So it shouldn't surprise us that a package of amendments to telecoms laws currently making its way through the European Parliament's committee system has received careful scrutiny from those who worry that the interests of the music and film industry are being placed before freedom of expression or civil liberties.



Bill Thompson is an independent journalist and regular commentator on the BBC World Service programme Digital Planet. His article is from the BBC and can be read in full via this link.