Singer questions wisdom of three-strikes law

Record companies are trying to pass on responsibility for protecting copyright to internet service providers‚ one singer has claimed.

Singer Billy Bragg has suggested that record companies are shirking their copyright protection responsibilities and questioned whether the so-called three-strikes law being championed by the industry is really the way forward.

In an article for the Guardian, he said the music industry has "failed miserably" in its previous attempts to crack down on illegal downloading.

It is therefore lobbying the government for the introduction of new laws that would force internet service providers (ISPs) to play a role in enforcing the intellectual property issue.

Under the proposals, ISPs would be required to share information about illegal downloaders with copyright holders.

Letters would then be sent to those accused of piracy and ISPs would be forced to cut off internet connections to those who repeatedly ignore the warnings.

Mr Bragg, who is a member of the recently-formed Featured Artist Coalition, questioned whether such an approach represents the best interests of those whose work is being pirated.

He said that in proposing the measures, record companies are effectively passing on their responsibilities to the ISPs and getting these companies to "do the dirty work for them".

"The question remains whether or not such measures will have the desired effect," he remarked, pointing out that advances in technology mean unauthorised file sharers will simply encrypt their exchanges to avoid detection.

And he added: "Even if this proposal should become law, as recording artists we question the wisdom of pursuing and penalising our potential audience."

Mr Bragg acknowledged that in the digital age, consumers are hungry for music content and will take full advantage of new avenues.

Record companies must therefore find a way to feed this appetite and encourage consumers to obtain music through legal channels rather than "clipping the wings of the fledgling digital industry before it can fly".

Meanwhile, a report by PRS for Music has found that songs by some of the most popular musicians in the UK have been swapped illegally over the internet around 14 million times in the last year.