[pp.int.general] Pirate Bay

[Reinier Bakels]

In the aftermath of last weeks Pirate Bay decision, I read a lot of articles about "illegal DOWNloading", even in the "quality newspaper" I am subscribed to. I thino of writing them a letter. What are the right arguments?

* downloading is not illegal in most European countries
* the true victims are the record companies who have lost their reason for existence since the advent of (broadband) internet, and they are not prepared to gove up, even though tey deliver a (distribution) service that no onle needs (like currecy exchange offices in the Euro-era)
* making records (and books) nowadays is very cheap - artists can do it themsevles, besides, they usually get unfavorable contracts from mighty record companies
* file sharing is so pervasive that enforcement risks credibility, unless it is so tough that it violates human rights principles
* credibility is further jeopardised by the general perception that record companies are overly greedy
+ plus by the couter-intuitive system of copyright that requires me to pay even if I copy my own old-fashioned legally obtained CDs
* levy system already compensate for private copies (whether you like levy systems is something else)
* most legislation is EU legislation, and the EU commission has already shown to be very susceptible to corporate lobbyists, and to ignore academic advice completely.

reinier
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