Mark Pack

The UK music industry’s revenues declined by less than 1% in the last year, a smaller drop than in previous years and a change that looks particular good given the economy overall was in sharp recession at the same time. These figures are likely to reinforce the views of critics of the Digital Economy Act [...] »

Now this is a much better idea than many we've seen: rather than simply berate people for using songs illegally, make it easier for people to pay and use songs legally. »

There are two major problems with Lord Mandelson's desire to crack down on illegal file-sharing by using an awful lot of stick and no carrot. First, it means he's come up with proposals that avoid the boring old-fashioned stuff like innocent until proven guilty and no punishment without a fair process. Second, though, it also [...] »

I support the campaign by the Open Rights Group and others against Peter Mandelson's proposed crackdown on illegal file-sharing. (You can support the campaign yourself here.) But in agreeing to call the proposals "three strikes and you're out", I think the campaign has ceded an important advantage to Peter Mandelson & co. That is because, taken on [...] »

The latest Ofcom survey of internet users in the UK shows that less than half believes downloading shared copies of copyright music and films should be illegal. 42% say it should be illegal, against 33% who believe it shouldn’t be illegal and 25% who don’t know. I’m not aware of comparable figures for other laws, but [...] »

Interesting news from The Herald: Internet piracy is merely demand where appropriate supply does not exist, people will never go back to buying music legally, and protecting information online will only destroy businesses, according to a provocative essay set to appear on a Scottish Government-funded website tomorrow. Written by Alice Taylor, commissioning editor for education at Channel [...] »

Both Amazon and Google have unveiled major developments in their plans to dominate the future of e-books. These moves will not only see the two internet giants compete head-to-head but will also see the traditional book publishing industry and authors face the dilemma of whether to see these developments as a welcome new outlet for [...] »

Leaving aside the extremely hard-line nature of Peter Mandelson’s proposals for a crackdown on illegal file sharing, there is a more fundamental question about what the impact of illegal file sharing really is on the music industry. To what extent does the distribution of songs this way take money away from sales and to what [...] »

Peter Mandelson’s proposals to introduce harsh penalties for people suspected of making illegal file downloads have come in for much criticism, particularly for the low standard of proof that would be required and for deploying too much stick and not enough carrot in an attempt to change people’s behaviour. So it was the main topic [...] »

Peter Mandelson’s desire to introduce stringent penalties for internet piracy look to be heading for deep trouble, with heavy criticism coming from senior businessmen, internet service providers and key parts of the music industry. First there’s this from paidContent:UK: The government’s revised, tougher plans to tackle online piracy have been dismissed as “grossly unfair” and “misconceived” by [...] »