Greedy BPI extracts more money from parents via civil suits

29 Jun 05 17:21 by Quakester2000 in category Uncategorized

Print this page

cdb000 used our news submit to tell us that
another parent has been hit with a hefty Â£2,500 fine by the BPI
after her child had been found downloading music from the internet. The
child’s mother Sylvia, 53 now has until the start of July to raise the money or
face additional fines or civil action from the BPI ( UK ’s RIAA). The BPI currently has 90 people in its targetting sites ready to face civil action over music sharing, 26 have already settled and Sylvia’s daughter was one of them.

Matt philips for the BPI said that people who download software to allow sharing between computers and then share music via this way are distributing music without permission.

Slyvia Price said that everyone at her daughter’s school was downloading music and that everyone she knows does it. The BPI said that they were targeting the worst offenders and out of the 90 they are after 26 have already paid up, with average settlements in the region of Â£2,600 ($4690.00). Anyway who wants to contest the action brought by the BPI could end up paying around Â£4,500 ($8110.00).

A mother is facing a fine of Â£2,500 after her teenage daughter shared music across the internet. Emily Price, 14, from Cheltenham, has been accused of file-sharing, opening up her computer for others to share her downloaded music, and vice versa. Her mother Sylvia, 53, has until the beginning of July to pay the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) or face an additional fine or civil action. She is one of about 90 people targeted in recent BPI action.

Matt Philips, from the BPI, said: “The issue surrounds illegal file-sharing, where people download software from the web allowing them access to a network and putting people in touch with one another. “They then swap files across the net. By opening their computers up, they are distributing music without permission.”

Sylvia Price said: “Everybody at Emily’s school does the same and everyone I know downloads it. “They are all shocked and clearing their computers.” The BPI says it is targeting the 90 worst file-sharing offenders, of whom 26 people have already paid an average fine of Â£2,600. Anyone can contest their case in a civil action or settle the individual fine, of which the maximum in this swoop has been Â£4,500.

Its amazing how greedy record companies can be it doesnt matter who it is as long as they have more money. When will they ever have enough money, its just plain greed, they still rip us off today with over inflated prices yet they want to increase prices and at all costs. For the price of a CD you can buy a good DVD or go to the cinema twice which is much better value.

Source: BBC

10 Comments on Greedy BPI extracts more money from parents via civil suits

I Have Piles: Posts: 586; Posted on: 29 Jun 05 17:34

Offer to pay it back at £1 a week Mrs Price. So long as you show you are willing to pay it back i dont think the courts can force you to pay it back in one payment.

Quakester2000: Posts: 1119; Posted on: 29 Jun 05 17:38

Im not really sure if that is possible to do as the story seems to indicate she has to have the money raise by end of july, maybe someone with legal knowledge or someoneone on the recieving end of a suit can tell us if this can be done, paying a pound a month.

GristyMcFisty: Posts: 634; Posted on: 29 Jun 05 18:03

Make that a £1 a month, sounds much more reasonable to me... :d With the BPI supporting top quality acts like Girls Aloud, and Crazy Frog...a pound a month is all their worth...

teisho: Posts: 38; Posted on: 29 Jun 05 18:09

i would have thought courts would rather a person attempt to pay off any fines etc than send them to overcrowded prisons.

Spastic: Posts: 2; Posted on: 29 Jun 05 18:11

OK, now where's the reactions from all the EU America haters that constantly spout off about how terrible america is and how their "rights" are protected? lol.

kamikazee: Posts: 1155; Posted on: 29 Jun 05 18:50

This doesn't require America bashing so they don't have anything to say. Only if it were again happening in America, then they would come out of the woodwork and let us know how they really feel.

mickrick: Posts: 103; Posted on: 29 Jun 05 20:19

Well I'm an Irish citizen living in the UK through a quirk of birth. We have gangs of "feral" kids stalking the streets, wrecking and destroying everything they can get their filthy mitts on while their parents sit at home, or in bars and clubs, who will defend their poor defenceless little darlings while refusing to care for them, and nothing is done about it. My wife and I were the victims of "Road Rage" at the hands of a 19-year-old spoilt brat on the first of March this year. I suffered a broken finger in two places, ligament damage to both hands and cuts and bruises to my face. Our car was also rammed in the process. He was arrested and charged with dangerous driving and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Then the dangerous driving charge was dropped. If found guilty, he would have faced a prison spell and lost his license. Now most likely he'll get a conditional discharge. A "big business corporation", however, decides that, rather than streamline an industry bursting at the seams with shite, they'll screw the underdog for evey penny they haven't got, and suddenly the legal system goes into overdrive to help them do it and parents are suddenly responsible for their kids' actions. It's an absoute disgrace, but hey, they pay their Labour Party donations.

Achant: Posts: 68; Posted on: 29 Jun 05 23:08

Talking about road rage.. The next thing will be the guy in the car next to you, with the car stereo turned up to maximum being charged with distributing music illegally

.. oops.. better not give them any ideas.

petera: Posts: 892; Posted on: 30 Jun 05 01:13

I'm no legal expert, but If I'm not mistaken the BPI have probabally sent her a corperate "fine" (i.e. a bill) for the £2,500 and given her a deadline of July to pay up otherwise she will go to court. All very legal. With the offer to pay £1 per week / month / whatever, she could try, as it is your right to offer a "reasonable" amount, as no-one can force you to pay more than you can afford under british law, BUT the BPI can ask a court to put you into bankruptsy if you don't pay up, and a judge will decide how much you can afford, or make you bankrupt. The offer of a pound a week use to work very well (as I Have Piles pointed out you are willing to pay, just a low amount), but the law has been retuned to stop abuse of the loophole.

Ranmacanada: Posts: 292; Posted on: 30 Jun 05 06:00

I thought the UK had a levy system intact on all media to reimburse the BPI artists for any infringment. IF you peeps do and this BS is happening, then the levy on all media should be lifted. They are double dipping and that is not only unfari to the consumer, but also to the artists as well, for who is to say they will see ANY of this money at all. I know here in Canada we have a levy on all media, and the CRIA is pissed because the artists made more money in levies last year then they did in royalties. Kinda tells you that either Canada has a tonne of people burning, or the royalt system pays out squeat. *I think we all know what it is*

Greedy BPI extracts more money from parents via civil suits

10 Comments on Greedy BPI extracts more money from parents via civil suits

Greedy BPI extracts more money from parents via civil suits

Most popular headlines

Windows Blue to allow boot to desktop and brings start menu back? (3)

Jobs in US entertainment industry on all-time high - piracy?! (8)

The Piratebay domain moves to Greenland - circumvents blockade (3)

Intel 9 series chipset has native SATA Express (SATA over PCIe) support (2)

Active Commenters