02/07/2009

Britain has greeted the news of The Pirate Bay’s acquisition by Global Gaming Factory X (see news) with scepticism.

Mark Mulligan, from research firm Forrester, believes that illegal downloaders would simply switch to a different free platform. “The bottom line is that most people who use file-sharing networks use it because it’s free. They are not likely to start paying just because the owners have a new business model. There has not yet been a single example of a legal file-sharing network which has made a successful transition to a legal business,” he said.

Lavinia Carey, Director General of the British Video Association, said, “Despite this news The Pirate Bay is just one of many rogue sites which until now has facilitated illegal access to creative content, such as films and television programmes, without payment to the creator or rights holder. Last month, government-backed research found that the value of illegally downloaded content tops £12bn per year in the UK alone and, while not every unauthorised download results in a lost sale, no industry can hope to survive for long when so much of its output is stolen.

In the face of such a large problem just one website turning over a new leaf does not detract from the need for government to legislate to introduce swift and effective technical solutions, such as electronic road humps, to reduce digital copyright theft and the urgent need for the proposals in the Digital Britain Review to become law without delay.”