The US has a history of making examples of those who choose to flout music piracy laws. Back in 2009, a blogger was arrested and eventuallysentencedto two-months home confinement for uploading the new album by Guns ‘n Roses.
And England has had its own high-profile piracy cases too, such as when a woman was found guilty of sharing a game online back in 2008, for which she wasfined£16,000.
Today, it emerged that Scotland has had its very first file-sharing conviction, after Ayr-based Anne Muir admitted distributing£54,000worth of copyrighted music. Sentencing will take place later this month.
Muir’s activities were discovered following an investigation by the British Recorded Music Industry (BPI) and the International Federation for the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), after which formal complaints were made to Strathclyde Police.
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Computer equipment was seized, and over 7,000 digital music files were found, alongside over 24,000 karaoke files. Interestingly, the karaoke files weren’t classified as ‘music’ files, make of that what you will.
But this does act as a timely reminder that whilst industry bodies are beginning to move with the times, they are still prepared to go after the more serious perpetrators.
Story byPaul Sawers
Paul Sawers was a reporter with The Next Web in various roles from May 2011 to November 2014.
Follow Paul on Twitter: @psawers or check h(show all)Paul Sawers was a reporter with The Next Web in various roles from May 2011 to November 2014.
Follow Paul on Twitter:@psawersor check him out onGoogle+.
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