iiNet – a major ISP in Australia – is being sued by a group of film and television companies for “authorising” film piracy (see this article for details). Seems to me that if the film companies win the case, banks should start suing state transport departments for “authorising” bank robberies – they provided the roads that the bank robbers used to get to the bank (and presumably get away as well). Or perhaps shop owners could sue Subaru for making the car that is most often used in “ram raids” (the WRX).

For years now the music, film and TV industries have been gunning for people who copy and/or share content over the Internet. If you believe the industry representatives, “piracy” costs the industry millions, if not billions of dollars every year. Frankly, I find it hard to believe these claims.

The problem is that new technologies (ie: personal DVD burners, digital data formats and the Internet) have rendered traditional business models and regulations obsolete. So how do you prevent illegal copying and file sharing? The answer is you don’t. You find a way to make money in the new environment. It is unfortunate that record labels and movie studios have invested gazillions of dollars in legal action and futile DRM technology. Had they invested that money and effort in exploring ways of using the new technologies to their advantage, things would be very different today. Take a look at this article on alternative business models for the entertainment industry. It’s a few years old now, but the idea is very enticing. If you could pay a flat fee of say $10 a month to your ISP, and for that price you could download ALL the music, films and TV shows you wanted, would you pay it? I sure as hell would.