The Digital Economy Bill: Let them eat content!
The wires have been awash with articles decrying the much maligned Digital Economy Bill, for seemingly criminalising internet users, hamstringing broadband providers and leave unsuspecting users vulnerable to Wi-Fi hackers, who could then get them in trouble for using P2P services on their network. What immediately springs to mind is the fact that this bill misses the point: piracy is a market signal; it suggests that one should create an alternative service, that is ‘better than piracy’, based on flexible and inventive revenue models in order to make headway towards a solution.
ThinkBroadband has already rightly pointed out the fact that the bill will likely produce a cottage industry for web developers making apps that hide filesharers’ tracks, boost the use of darknets, and drive money away from music publishing houses in the longer term anyway (which might hopefully boost the attention given to smaller, independent artists and labels that promote themselves directly using social tools). And yes, of course I see why rights holders are pushing for this legislation. We’ve all got to eat. But coming up with a compromise that works for all wouldn’t hurt either…
