http://www.ralli.co.uk/news/ralli-news/defendants-in-january-copyright-hearing-urged-to-come-forward

For the attention of Mr E Vaizey at CMS

Dear Mr Vaizey,

I understand you’re still consulting interested parties with regard to finalising procedures under the DEA and proposing subordinate legislation made thereunder.

My brief contribution as an “interested party” is one of an active filesharer who seriously views with grave concern the potential penalties for sharing digital information freely and at no cost, no profit and no gain to either me or the recipient(s) of such files.

I understand the various industries are claiming wildly exaggerated losses of profit using archaic business models and methods that are now unsuitable for the current advances in technology, but we must move on with such changes and resist the temptation of their demands for protectionism via UK legislation. I urge you instead to allow the public to vote with their actions and insist these complaining industries modernise.

I have no intention of failing to send my 5 year old niece a copy of Bugs Bunny via the internet simply because the copyright holder objects to my actions. And I suspect many law-abiding citizens feel similarly. Copyright law also requires modernisation and to allow freedom to share rather than the outdated concepts currently applicable.

The industry spokespersons have so far convinced various democratic governments worldwide that filesharing for free should be penalised in the same manner as if some form of theft or piracy is being committed, but that is quite clearly wrong. Real piracy is indeed not only theft, but it results in an exchange of cash or other gain for profit.

Filesharers gain nothing, and steal nothing by simply sharing those digital files freely.

I urge you to allow market forces to develop properly BY REFUSING the unfair protectionism of threats and bullying against the general public in GREAT Britain. Please don’t be made a fool of by an industry that quotes inflated losses that simply don’t exist.

Sincerely,

{My name & address is edited out}

You can send your own message to Mr Vaizey (or the BIS Secretary of State (LibDem) Vince Cable) here
http://www.bis.gov.uk/contact/ministers-business

Please do so politely and use accurate information too. Otherwise it will weaken our plea for good law and good practice.

And I can’t bring myself to fell pity for them lmao.

There is a dire and almost urgent need in the UK for legal clarity with regard to these multiple filesharing cases, not least of which is a final definition of what constitutes piracy of property for profit as opposed to filesharing for no cash, no profit and no gain. And then to deal properly and fairly with those two VERY different activities in terms of penalty and punishment.

What the so-called ‘content industry’ has so far achieved is to fool and convince our politicians that these two different activities are similar and should attract the same penalties and punishments. This is where we as filesharers need to educate our politicians, and to do so as politely and informatively as possible to show them that we actually HELP the industry and are not the thieving criminals we’re wrongly being labelled as by the industry.

Please write to your local politicians and educate them as best and as nicely as you can. It WILL make a difference, especially if you don’t threaten them (unlike the liars in the content industry and their foolish USA political muppets stomping all over our Planet with their Fascist jackboots threatening trade sanctions).

Independent of any damage to their reputation from the nature of the cases, I’d suggest ACS:Law’s general incompetence at filing briefs should be more than enough reason for anyone not to use them.