Spanish Indie Labels Threaten Govt with Lawsuit for Condoning File Sharing

Not complying with the directions of the entertaining industries may turn you into the enemy of some insatiable moguls who unfortunately know and are able to work the system in their favor.

This is the case with Spain – one of the few countries that had a legal system which dealt with copyright issues a bit differently rejecting the three strikes legislation, considering broadband a basic right and (what really angered the record labels) declaring personal file sharing legal (some "anti-piracy" organizations have been even fined for "bad faith actions"). This system may change as Spain started to be seen as dangerous by the industry through the model and example it has set.

Where does that lead us? Well, to industry lobbyists pressuring the government to come up with new copyright laws.

Recently, a number of labels among which Blanco y Negro Music, Discmedi, PIAS Records Spain, Popstock, K-Industrial Cultural and Picap, have contracted Barcelona legal firm Roca Junyent to represent them later this month in case the government fails to respond their demands, Billboard reports.

While the inter-ministerial commission proposal to block or close file sharing sites has been adopted by the culture ministry as part of a future Sustainable Economy Law (which could be debated in parliament within a year), the measure doesn’t even come close to satisfying record companies.

The measure would not resolve the most relevant problem, which is the actual impossibility of us taking civil action against those final users who appropriate music without paying, and systematically violate intellectual property rights," said Gerardo Carton, director of PIAS Records Spain and spokesman for about 20 labels.

"We think the Administration is responsible for our plight. We demand that the government take effective measures imminently to protect the rights and interests of the record industry, as well as the intellectual property rights of the agents that intervene in the creative musical process within Internet," he added.

It’s such a pity to see a healthy system going bad because indie labels instead of getting themselves busy with attracting new fans and keeping the loyal ones through new business models – that would, for a change, embrace the current technology (which can’t be suppressed, anyway) – are putting all their efforts into gaining the power to sue their fans. Simply sad!