This week FAST IiS came out strongly against the UK Government’s Digital Britain plan. One of my favorite pubs presented the following coverage:
[From The Register] Software body slams uk.gov's 'special treatment' of music biz
The Government's Digital Britain plan is a failure that gives favourable treatment to the music business and props up failed business models, a software trade body has said.
The Federation Against Software Theft and Investors in Software (FAST IiS), which promotes the legitimate use of software, has launched a stinging attack on the Digital Britain report and on the way the music industry has approached the threat of digital piracy.
“The entertainment sector appear to have lobbied the Government to consider establishing a ‘pirates tax’ on all of us as well as yet another quango to oversee it, meaning more cost, and more hassle," said FAST IiS chief executive John Lovelock.
Without commenting on FAST IiS’ motivations or intentions, which others have done extensively, let’s have a fast look at just a coulple of software piracy related elements of the Digital Britain proposal and speculate on how they might play here in the states.
Imposing a tax on content providers – one on the kookiest ideas ever. It would bring endless political wrangling over who had to pay how much and on what, and it also makes no sense. Should we start charging little old ladies for protection against street hoods or levy a special tax on local merchants for protection from thugs. In the states, this is called a shakedown. Piracy already imposes enough of a penalty on software developers, why hit this unfortunate class of victims twice.
Require ISPs to provide notice to recipients of pirated materials and provide data under a court order – Makes perfect sense. The notice letter is mostly silly and the data collection is perfectly legal. It helps if we think of the average ISP as an operator of a giant electronic toll road. On the roadways, some people violate the law; they speed, they drink, they litter. It is not the job of the toll operator to restrict access to the highway or to police the roadway in anyway. They must however share user information (toll tag data and toll booth pictures) if ordered by a court. The legal precedent is already established so why not treat ISPs in the same manner.
I wish we could eliminate all crime, but we never will. We can reduce it though and it begins with property owners, namely software publishers, taking necessary measures to protect their sources of revenue while still making their product easy to consume. Proper use of DRM technology is a great starting place. Let's keep a safe distance from the politicians, they're doing a fine job of mucking things up elsewhere.
