Simon Cowell lobbies MPs on anti-piracy measures

By Emma Barnett, Technology and Digital Media Correspondent Published: 7:00AM GMT twenty-two February 2010

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Simon Cowell has sealed a minute propelling MPs to pass the Digital Economy Bill as a make a difference of coercion to strengthen the beautiful industries. Photo: PA

Cowell, to one side multiform alternative absolute total from the movie and well read world, has put his name to a strongly worded letter, seen by The Telegraph, that MPs and the Lords will embrace today, to get the anti-piracy measures in the check pushed through, that could see repeat offenders internet connectors cut off.

The letter, that is additionally sealed by Sir Terry Pratchett representing the interests of authors, says that the Digital Economy Bill, "will safeguard that British creators, party companies and the 1.8 million people who work in and around the informative zone are reputable and rewarded in the destiny as they have been in the past, and that they are sincerely paid when they put their work online."

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The Government published the Digital Economy Bill last Nov and it is now flitting by the House of Lords. The check is meant to yield a plans for how a entirely digital UK should function, with clauses rebellious digital air wave switchover, rolling out faster broadband to some-more people and the majority in effect approach to plunge in to online piracy. The minute has been sent currently so MPs embrace it on their initial day behind from recess, in an try to pull the check up Parliaments agenda.

Web robbery has been a vital regard for the song industry over the last couple of years and some-more recently, has started to unequivocally affect the particular film, TV and book markets. The minute is additionally sealed by Paul Greengrass, boss of Directors UK, Tim Bevan, the co-chairman of Working Title Films and Stephen Garrett, senior manager authority of the TV and movie prolongation association Kudos. It is only focussed on the clauses containing the Governments due anti-piracy measures.

The Bill, that is approaching to reach the Commons by early March, proposes a multiform step resolution to internet piracy, that starts with a notice minute sent to those illegally downloading from their Internet Service Provider and could finish with that persons internet tie being at the moment suspended.

The minute goes on to say: "Digital party services are unequivocally commencement to take off: fans have never had so most preference as to how to suffer their music, books, TV and drive-in theatre online. But for these new commercial operation models to develop, it is vicious that some-more is finished to forestall the bootleg services on condition that easy entrance to free content."

Garrett, vocalization on interest of the TV and movie prolongation industries, told The Telegraph: "We longed for to send this minute to MPs to put the check and the significance at the forefront of their minds. The worry is ensuring that yes or no tools of the check get by essentially have a little teeth. Its a ethereal time in the destiny hold up of the check and we need to safeguard as the choosing looms and domestic distractions are a-plenty that the check is not forgotten. We hold these measures will be really in effect in curbing the web robbery of content."

However, the Bills anti robbery measures have faced critique from consumer and internet rights groups, that are endangered about the wrong people being targeted and afterwards punished.

Deborah Prince, the head of Legal Affairs at Which?, the consumer watchdog, said: "The action as a total is great but it doesnt sufficient residence the technical practicalities of rightly identifying an comment hilt who is honestly guilty of filesharing.

"The law needs to be simplified to safeguard there is a ubiquitous acceptance that only since bootleg wake up might have happened on an internet tie the comment hilt is not indispensably hold under obligation as someone might have hacked in to that persons network. It is vicious that these anti-piracy measures are used as most as probable to teach consumers and not kick them up."