New bill proposes 10-year jail term for UK online pirates

Attention online pirates in the UK! Your days are numbered.

Awaiting the approval of UK parliament is a new Digital Economy Bill that, if passed, will tighten its grip around you. Get ready to face the music. With a new amendment on the cards, the Digital Economy Bill proposes a decade-long imprisonment for online pirates.

UK Members of Parliament (MPs) have started a debate in connection with the proposed amendment to the Digital Economy Bill that, if passed into law, will affect the British netizens a lot more than one can imagine.

The latest amendment is proposed for Section 107 of Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (CDPA) of 1988.

The statement from Crown Prosecution Service states,

“These are recordings made without the consent of the performer (i.e. piracy or bootlegging). Bootlegging is the recording, duplication and sale of a performance such as a live concert stage performance without the permission of the performer.”

The amendment calls for a complete ban on internet users, who tend to download or upload copyrighted material. The bill also encompasses users who habitually visit certain sex-related websites. All such websites will be blocked.

The significant change that has made this Digital Economy Bill more of a concern is the number of years that infringers will have to serve in jail. Previously the time was only two years, which has now been increased to a full 10-year sentence.

There is another twist within the proposed bill. It will also target people for recording or distributing any material (including songs, movies, etc.) without the prior consent of the performer.

According to the proposed amendment, any person who knowingly indulges in copyright infringement for personal gains with an intention to exposing the copyright owner to the risk of loss is liable for legal action against the violation of CDPA.

The concerned authorities have insisted that common netizens will not affected that much, but the fact remains that British people who use internet for downloading or uploading files should get a caution out of the latest buzz surrounding the Digital Economy Bill.

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This news was first published on Torrent Freak.