The UK government is considering a change to anti-piracy laws that would change the sentence for large-scale music pirates from 2 years in prison to 10 years. The change is targeted toward those who pirate music for large-scale financial gain.
10 years isn’t a random number: the standard for copyright infringement of physical goods in the UK has been 10 years for a while. By changing this, the government stresses that digital arts are just as important as physical goods.
The UK creative industries are worth about £7 billion. Digital sales of music take a huge hit with piracy, as it’s much easier to steal. This change in law could be the answer.
The current United States punishment for stealing music is a maximum 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Additionally, copyright holders can sue up to $150,000 in statutory damages per infringement.
Sources:
http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/86989
http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/online-music-pirates-face-10-years-jail-uk/
http://www.riaa.com/physicalpiracy.php?content_selector=piracy_online_the_law
10 years isn’t a random number: the standard for copyright infringement of physical goods in the UK has been 10 years for a while. By changing this, the government stresses that digital arts are just as important as physical goods.
The UK creative industries are worth about £7 billion. Digital sales of music take a huge hit with piracy, as it’s much easier to steal. This change in law could be the answer.
The current United States punishment for stealing music is a maximum 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Additionally, copyright holders can sue up to $150,000 in statutory damages per infringement.
Sources:
http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/86989
http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/online-music-pirates-face-10-years-jail-uk/
http://www.riaa.com/physicalpiracy.php?content_selector=piracy_online_the_law
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