Wednesday 6 October 2010

Ministry of Sound Targets Illegal Downloaders

Ministry of Sound has spoken out against file sharers who've illegally shared its music.

The BBC reports that the UK record label went to court on Monday (4 October) to ask for the names and addresses of 2,000 people it claims have illegally distributed its music.

The judge said Ministry needed to prove people were illegal downloaders. The case has been adjourned until 2011.

Ministry's CEO, Lohan Presencer said: "We can't afford to have our business and artists stolen from any more." The Ministry boss asked "What's the alternative?"

"If I ran a shop and someone came into the shop and started stealing things off the shelves, should I just allow that to happen? Lohan Presencer added "We can't afford to have our business and artists stolen from any more and we have to take some action."

Reports show that over the last 10 years internet piracy has grown rapidly. BitTorrent websites give access to music files that can be downloaded without any payment.

Lohan Presencer says it's time record labels fought back: "Every record company has been suffering from piracy. These people are stealing. I'm afraid you can sit on the side-lines or you can say, 'No this is wrong'."

The Label is confident it will eventually get the information it wants from BT-owned internet service provider (ISP) PlusNet.

BT, the UK's largest broadband company, has already said it's unhappy with the way some law firms are trying to stop possible illegal downloaders.

It wants Ministry's demand to become a test case, with a judge deciding what is acceptable when it comes to taking on illegal downloaders. BT says it wants to ensure broadband subscribers are adequately protected.

The BBC has reported that in a statement, BT told Newsbeat that rights holders should be able to make claims for copyright infringement but without causing unnecessary worry to innocent people.

Ministry of Sound has already had thousands of letters sent out on its behalf. Some people have already agreed to pay hundreds of pounds to avoid court action.

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