Video And Music Piracy, And Illegal File Sharing

The age of the internet has brought about access to films, tv and music at the touch of a button. However, lots of content found on the internet is made available without the owner's consent, often in breach of copyright rules.

Hefty financial penalties can be imposed for online piracy offences and in the most extreme circumstances, the courts can consider imposing a prison sentence. Read on for an overview of the law relating to these offences.

Video or Music Piracy

A 2009 report carried out by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry found that 95 per cent of music downloads are unauthorised. Further research suggested that there were over 8 million file sharers in the UK. While some individual downloaders and file sharers have been pursued financially in the civil courts, criminal cases have really only been brought in the UK and abroad against UK residents if they have controlled file sharing websites or affiliate sites. Foreign cases can sometimes result in