This gubberment is going after the pirates.

ejmaztec

Didn't the previous shower back down on this?


http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2011/1219/1224309259318.html?via=mr

Illegal downloading to be curbed by Government order

BARRY O'HALLORAN
THE GOVERNMENT is set to tackle illegal downloading of music and films in January by plugging a gap in the Republic’s laws that allows internet users access to sites that “pirate” this material.
Minister of State for Enterprise Seán Sherlock is to publish an order early in the new year that is expected to allow music publishers, film producers and other parties to go to court to prevent internet service providers from allowing their customers access to pirate websites.
The Department of Enterprise, Innovation and Jobs has written to music publisher EMI Ireland confirming the order will be published and incorporated into existing legislation in January. Mr Sherlock also said in a written answer to a parliamentary question that the order, or statutory instrument, would be published next month.
EMI Ireland recently warned the Government that it would take legal action against the State if the Government did not address the problem.
Its chief executive, Willie Kavanagh, is not ruling out going ahead with this if the statutory order does not give companies such as his a clear right to seek court injunctions against internet service providers that allow access to music and video piracy websites.
His company was involved in the High Court case that originally highlighted the loophole in Irish law in October last year.
EMI sought an injunction against UPC, ordering it to block access to websites that allowed illegal downloading. While the court found that EMI’s rights were breached, Mr Justice Peter Charleton pointed out that he could not grant the injunction as the Copyright Act did not provide for this remedy.
Mr Justice Charleton pointed out that such a provision was needed to bring the Republic’s legislation into line with EU law.
Official figures show that CD sales in the Republic fell from €146 million in 2006 to €56 million last year.
The industry says that changes in consumption patterns are only partly to blame for this, and point at illegal downloading as another culprit. Mr Kavanagh said illegal downloading has been a key culprit in his business losing €60 million in revenues over the last six years.
The problem is also stretching to film. Andrew Lowe of Element Pictures, producer of this year’s Irish hit The Guard, says the problem is posing a threat to employment in his industry.
He also points out that the State, which supports the industry through Film Board funding and tax breaks, is losing as it is missing out on VAT returns from DVD and cinema ticket sales.

smash

Doubt they'll get away with it. Not everything on sites like the pirate bay are illegal or copyright.

And this bs:
"Official figures show that CD sales in the Republic fell from €146 million in 2006 to €56 million last year."

Seriously, People use itunes etc ffs.

ScumLord

I don't think I could go back to buying DVDs in a shop, it's so archaic, annoying and just a pointless exercise that the record companies insist on forcing you through to give them money they barely deserve.

I hope it all collapses, it's the best possible outcome IMO.

o1s1n

I hate to be taking the hippy approach, but how about enviornmental factors? Surely a massive drop in CD production can only be good for the planet.

Seachmall

"plugging a gap in the Republic’s laws that allows internet users access to sites that “pirate” this material."

That article makes it sound like they're not blocking torrent tracker sites, but the writer might just be a retard. I'd like to see how they word this law.

RichieC

This is just an excuse to make the internet more friendly for the eztablisbed powers. just as SOPA is in the states.


wait and see... the internet terrifies the establishment.

chin_grin

Won't somebody think of the advertisers!? :pac:

Fear Uladh

o1s1n wrote: »

I hate to be taking the hippy approach, but how about enviornmental factors? Surely a massive drop in CD production can only be good for the planet.

Not good for EMIs profits or the governments brown envelopes.

ScumLord

o1s1n wrote: »

Surely a massive drop in CD production can only be good for the planet.

A massive drop in feckless fame whores like Brittany and the name of the rest of them would also be great for the environment and the public in general. They soak up to many resources just to sing a song.

bluto63

Going after the service providers? That's just pathetic. They can't isolate every pirate website out there. It's asking too much.

Chuck Stone

Fuck 'em.

Music companies in particular have been ripping people and artists off for decades.

Many artists are now releasing their stuff on the principle that people download it for free and then pay if they like it and/or want the artist to produce more.

youcancallmeal

Its almost scary how much that article displays a complete mis-comprehension of the situation. I don't know if its the journalist or the government but I'm quite happy that they are kept busy pursuing this policy of getting ISPs to block access to torrent sites. Meanwhile anyone with a vague understanding of the internet will pick one of the many ways around these 'measures'.

RichieC

who doesnt like playing whack a mole?

starbelgrade

The problem is also stretching to film. Andrew Lowe of Element Pictures, producer of this year’s Irish hit The Guard, says the problem is posing a threat to employment in his industry.

Well, maybe if he stopped producing shite like the Guard & produced something with even a half decent script, direction & editing, then maybe, just maybe, he'd make a few more quid out of it.The same applies across the board in both film & music... if the quality is there, people are willing to pay for it.

wes

smash wrote: »

And this bs:
"Official figures show that CD sales in the Republic fell from €146 million in 2006 to €56 million last year."

Seriously, People use itunes etc ffs.

Good point, also there is a recession, and pretty much everyone is taking a hit in the sale department.

Also, the web site blocking has been easily circumvented in the countries where this sort of thing has already been done.

Nothingbetter2d

most modern music (crap if u ask me) comes from xfactor now anyways... no more need for cds when all you have to do is turn on the tv

Voodu Child

I hope the govenment ban motor cars too because I have seen sales of my horse-drawn carriages fall by over 50% since 2006.

Standard Toaster

smash wrote: »

Doubt they'll get away with it. Not everything on sites like the pirate bay are illegal or copyright.

And this bs:
"Official figures show that CD sales in the Republic fell from €146 million in 2006 to €56 million last year."

Seriously, People use itunes etc ffs.

They'll be telling you next how much cassette sales have fallen over the past two decades.

RichieC

wes wrote: »

smash wrote: »

And this bs:
"Official figures show that CD sales in the Republic fell from €146 million in 2006 to €56 million last year."

Seriously, People use itunes etc ffs.

Good point, also there is a recession, and pretty much everyone is taking a hit in the sale department.

Also, the web site blocking has been easily circumvented in the countries where this sort of thing has already been done.

mw3 broke the fastest earning record this year. it beat avatar. its all bollocks tbh. artists earn playing gigs

this is why I suspect alterior motives with these internet crackdowns.

smash

The more I read that article the more annoyed I'm getting about the lack of actual journalism involved in that piece, it's utter ****e...

With services like netflicks, iTunes and even basics Sky Movies for christ sake there's bound to be drops in sales of DVD and CD.

Snakeblood

Voodu Child wrote: »

I hope the govenment ban motor cars too because I have seen sales of my horse-drawn carriages fall by over 50% since 2006.

Well maybe if you didn't have shit horses this wouldn't have happened.

Coriolanus

TOR

That is all.

ejmaztec

Standard Toaster wrote: »

They'll be telling you next how much cassette sales have fallen over the past two decades.

Bring back 78rpm and mono. Yay

Wetai

Eircom will be first to block everything - they've already done TPB; they must think it's the only torrent site or something :rolleyes:

Genghiz Cohen

A CD shop opened in Carlow for the Christmas, I drag my friends into it just for the novelty of being in a CD shop.

mikom

THE GOVERNMENT is set to tackle illegal downloading of music and films in January by plugging a gap in the Republic’s laws that allows internet users access to sites that “pirate” this material.

AHa ha ha.
Good luck with that.

My name is URL

How dare they try to interfere with our God given right to consume media without paying for it

Wetai

My name is URL wrote: »

How dare they try to interfere with our God given right to consume media without paying for it

It's balanced out, they expect people to pay for media without 'consuming' it.

Duggy747

Won't be a bother for those who know their way around the web.

Honestly, it's hardly a shock such measures are coming. The internet though is too big and has been such a mess for so long it's hard to regulate or contain any of it without seeming like Totalitarianist overlords.

Prices just need to be dropped, iTunes was able to make legal downloads workable in an otherwise unworkable market that nobody else dared to touch.

Freddie59

Load of bollix. I'm currently transferring my (legally purchased) DVDs to a media player for convenience. Can you actually download movies legally, like music on iTunes? I note that some DVDs for sale in the shops are a 'triple play', DVD, BluRay, and 'Digital Copy'.

The way of the future?

Seachmall

My name is URL wrote: »

How dare they try to interfere with our God given right to consume media without paying for it

How dare they go about it by passing laws that force a separate industry to follow their directions and prevent users from accessing entirely legal websites all while ignoring EU rulings.