Over the past few years increasing illicit file sharing and bootlegging activities have cost the industry billions of US dollars. In reviewing strategies for clamping down on music piracy all eyes turn to online publishers with messaging services and communities.
The main suggestion on the table is, if you can't regulate them, tax them. This was a controversial perspective voiced by Scott Cohen at this year's Popkomm (Billboards, 2007). A suggestion that is not likely to settle well with publishers who stand to bear the brunt of piracy activities and lose millions.
If the Majors are unable to reach the perpetrators direct their only option is to target the enablers. But how realistic and practical is that? Messaging services are not as overt as communities where anyone can access the content. And with rights protecting the privacy of subscriber's content the question is, how can penalties or tax be enforced on an activity that is difficult to quantify and prove without breaching privacy rights? Further debates are still being brought to the table. |
