ISPs Facilitate Filesharing according to the IFPI

http://torrentfreak.com//images/ifpilogo.gif

ISPs facilitate the illegal swapping on copyrighted music on a grand scale according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). This is one of the 10 inconvenient truths about the music industry they published today. Most of the “truths” are simply not true of course, they are nothing more than cheap propaganda.

On the IFPI website we read: “ISPs often advertise music as a benefit of signing up to their service, but facilitate the illegal swapping on copyright infringing music on a grand scale.”

It’s kind of a strange statement, what is copyright infringing music anyway? As far as I know music in itself cannot infringe copyright. Apart from this (and other speling errors), their point just doesn’t make any sense. Sure, ISPs advertise their high speed connection with phrases like “download as much music as you want”, but they never say “download as much copyrighted music as you want”. I guess the IFPI doesn’t know that there are plenty of legal services available where you can download music for free, such as Jamendo.

To make it even more funny, the IFPI also takes on The Pirate Bay by stating: “Pirate Bay, one of the flagships of the anti-copyright movement, makes thousands of euros from advertising on its site, while maintaining its anti-establishment “free music” rhetoric.”
First of all, they probably mean advertisements, but even then their statement doesn’t make sense. Sure, The Pirate Bay generates revenue from the ads on their site, but most of it is used to pay the 20+ servers they need to keep the site up and running and the bandwidth bills. And even if they were millionaires, that doesn’t make the music less free does it?.

Those are not the only “inconvenient truths” that don’t make sense, there are a whole bunch of them. The “truth” that piracy doesn’t create jobs, tax revenues and economic growth for example, as far as I know it does. What about all the high speed internet connections pirates use, those are not free. Or iPods, harddrives, CDs and DVDs pirates use to store all their pirated stuff? There are plenty examples I can come up with that show that piracy is creating a lot of Jobs, tax revenues, and even economic growth.

The only thing that’s inconvenient about the inconvenient truths summed up by the IFPI is the fact that they’re not true.

:source: Source: TorrentFreak

thanks

hmm...

nice...

Since the majority of ISP's aren't actively searching for and subsequently banning pirates from using their connection without the direct threat of a legal authority as an incentive, I believe it is safe to assume that they are at least indifferent to the idea of internet piracy.
Generally, it's good business, however unethical, to turn a blinds eye to what one's customers to with the things they buy from him. In this case, it is very good business, since a growing number of people are using p2p and, let's be honest, selling an open connection for file sharing isn't as harmful as selling alcohol to a minor.

facilitate (v): to make easier
If you were part of an anti-p2p group, wouldn't you be led to believe that by not cracking down on piracy, the ISPs are therefore facilitating the pirates on their connection?
By passively accepting pirates on their connection, the ISPs are actively supporting them in the anti-p2p goons perception.
The have kind of an "all who aren't with me are against me" kind of mentality

Agree? Disagree?

Interesting article.

It's a gain/loss situation, so the losing party(IFPI) is complaining :)