Illegal downloads (29 May 2009)
SUMMARY:
Around seven million people in the UK are involved in illegal downloads at huge cost to the economy - but changing attitudes is going to be tough. A report warns that criminalising people who download illegally may not be the right course.
Reporter:Rory Cellan-Jones
REPORT
The report for a body advising the government on copyright looks at consumer attitudes to illegal downloading. Researchers found 1.3 million people online on just one file-sharing network on a weekday and worked out that over a year, they were getting free access to material worth 120 billion pounds.
The report says seven million people who download illegally in the UK can't all be students, older people must also be involved. But it says there's uncertainty about what is or is not illegal, and the fact that so much on the internet is free only adds to the confusion.
The report warns the government that criminalising downloaders could have huge economic costs and might not even work.
VOCABULARY
body - here, organisation, institution
copyright - the legal right of either creative artists or publishers to control the use and reproduction of their original works
consumer attitudes to - here, how downloaders feel about
getting free access to - here, able to download without paying
must also be involved - here, look certain to be using illegal downloads as well there's uncertainty about - nobody knows for sure
adds to the confusion - makes the situation even less clear
criminalising - treating somebody as a criminal and/or making what they do punishable under the criminal law
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/05/090529_witn_downloads.shtml
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