Saturday, January 21, 2012

Swiss govt declares downloading for personal use legal...

The government of Switzerland has issued a statement declaring that it will not take action to alter current copyright laws allowing the downloading of music and movies for personal use. The statement is the result of a lengthy study conducted by the Swiss government into the impact of so-called “piracy” on the entertainment industry.

The entertainment industry has been complaining in Switzerland – as in the US and elsewhere – that the unauthorized downloading of music and movies has harmed their business. The situation in Switzerland is somewhat unique, in that current copyright law considers the downloading of content for personal use as acceptable and legal. The entertainment industry has been lobbying the Swiss government to change the law. This study is the government’s response.

Despite the industry’s claims that downloading undermines their business, this study shows that the effect of unauthorized downloading on the industry’s bottom line is negligible. One key finding of the study is that downloaders spend as much if not more to acquire content legally as those who do not download. Researchers found no change in amount of disposable income spent on music and movies, despite the fact that roughly one third of Swiss people engage in some form of downloading. Full story...

Don't miss:
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  2. U.S. shuts Megaupload.com, hackers hit back...
  3. Movie fans turn to piracy when the online cupboard is bare...
  4. New York youth faces 5 years prison for streaming sports events...
  5. New York man faces five years in jail for ‘linking’ to online videos...
  6. New laws to make copying CDs legal...
  7. Teen fined $2900 for downloading a movie illegally ...
  8. US government finally admits most piracy statistics are bullshit...

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