The Need to Have File Sharers Disconnected – Nothing but Empty Rhetoric

Richard Scudamore speak against piracy but does he know what he is saying?

When Digital Economy Bill was recently published it triggered a torrent of harsh criticism. While the Business Secretary Lord Mandelson was pretty theatrical about the importance of protecting our creative communities from the threat of illegal file sharing infringement to guarantee a reward to the existing and future talent and to also ensure online consumers are respected in terms of being offered new choices always, others could help being skeptical about the substance behind those words.

Recently, CEO of the Premier League and member of the Creative Coalition Richard Scudamore, has spoken in support of Lord Mandelson's plans to cut off copyright infringers in an article on The Guardian. Again, the lack of substance behind big words is easy to suspect:

There are threats as well as opportunities, not least the challenges presented by online copyright infringement, more commonly known as piracy. I prefer to call it by its real name – digital theft.

[…] Without the safe passage of the bill — requiring ISPs to take firm measures against unauthorised filesharers who are currently streaming and downloading with virtual impunity — the marker that this is theft isn't even set down, educating consumers cannot begin in earnest, businesses cannot begin to develop new models because the market won't be functioning properly and, most importantly of all, the current levels of investment that create jobs as well as talent will be lost. And that is when the real cost of digital theft would become apparent.

But not everybody can be easily fooled with precious phrases. TechDirt points to some rather crucial questions – for example, how come the creative industries that Scudamore is so persistent in saying are dying, to the contrary have been actually flourishing? The same site comes with the answer: “The business models have been adapting just fine — even without additional artificial barriers to competition or the ability to kick people off the internet.”

The comment goes on pointing out that:

in the case of the Premier League, Scudamore seems to be leaving out an awful lot of important facts, such as how incredibly limited an online offering the Premier League has put forth, which is a large part of the reason why lots of people stream it illegally. He also tosses out some totally made up "facts" such as "the UK leads the world in illegal downloads of TV programmes, with up to 25% of all online TV piracy taking place here." Well, perhaps it's not totally made up since he uses the magic words "up to."

Mandelson and Scudamore and those who share their views are obviously blind to the real problem that’s causing so many people to turn to illegal file sharing, which is – failing to deliver content to consumers when they want it and how they want it at reasonable prices.

If they want to get drastic then I suggest they adopt this motto and have the entertainment industry embrace it as well: “Adapt or Die!”