UK government plans file-sharing laws

The UK government will draft laws designed to stamp out illegal file-sharing in the UK unless ISPs act to end it, according to a Labour Lord.

Lord Triesman, the parliamentary Under Secretary for Innovation, Universities and Skills, said the government hoped for a voluntary system of regulation but was prepared to act.

"If we can't get voluntary arrangements we will legislate," he told the BBC.

The senior politician said that the music industry and ISPs were currently in talks and things were progressing "more promisingly than people might have thought six months ago".

"For the most part I think there are going to be successful voluntary schemes between the creative industries and ISPs," he said.

"Our preferred position is that we shouldn't have to regulate."

However, Lord Triesman said the government was not interested in "hounding 14-year-olds who shared music" but would be looking to punish those using piracy to turn a profit.

"We have some simple choices to make," he said.

"If creative artists can't earn a living as a result of the work they produce, then we will kill off creative artists and that would be a tragedy."

See also:

Comcast caught blocking BitTorrent traffic

Vendor abandons net neutrality  22 Oct 2007

Media alliance seeks online copyright pact

Google noticeable by its absence  19 Oct 2007

RIAA wins US file sharing test case

Minnesota mum faces $220,000 bill for copyright infringement  05 Oct 2007

Pirate Bay turns tables on media giants

P2P site complains to police about 'illegal' tactics  25 Sep 2007

P2P data leak hits ABN Amro

Information on 5,000 customers found on file-sharing app  24 Sep 2007

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