Music Industry lobbys for Copyright Shift

Nonsense. That was my thought when I first read the articles " Music industry demands the right to sue ISPs" from the Independent Online Edition and "Indie Labels want copyright shift" from the BBC Online. Several trade organizations, including the Association of Independent Music (AIM), the Musicians' Union and the MCPS-PRS Alliance, proposed that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should be liable for illegal file sharing by their users. If true, rights-holders could sue the service providers as well as the users if files are shared illegally.

Internet Service Providers should be charged for their role in the distribution process which could come in the form of a collective license just like the one for radio or TV in many countries. If you take this a step further, the industry may also demand a copyright shift for snail mail, as it is likely also being used to trade burned CDs and data this way. Why stop there? Railways, interstates, airlines, streets, schools, universities and other places are also used for trading. Sounds like a get rich quick scheme to me.

Ways of charging ISPs for acting as an "intermediary" between and music buyers is another area highlighted in the discussion, details of which were revealed on Wednesday.

This could take the form of a collective licence - similar to the current radio licence in the UK - which would allow ISPs to host file-sharing for a fee that would go to record companies and musicians.

Ultimately, the group wants the music industry to create a commercial relationship with any company deriving value from either the sharing or storage of music.

It is clear that the Music Industry is becoming desperate and still fighting new media instead of embracing it. They use their money to lobby and influence politicians. We are already paying fees in many different ways. Blank CDs and DVDs, printers, CD and DVD burners, and even hard drives are taxed and part of the revenue wanders right into the bank accounts of rights holders and the industry.

This won't change until today's political system changes. I'm not talking about a change from democracy into another form, but stricter controls of the lobbying or an outright ban of it. The industry should not be in a position to influence politicians.

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