The London based International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) have prepared lawsuits against another 24 individual file sharers in Denmark, according to industry officials.

Jay Berman, IFPI CEO and Chairman, described the chances of lawsuits in Europe being expanded to Britain, France and Sweden as “inevitable”. He also said that Japan is a strong candidate for future lawsuits.

Individuals using P2P networks in Denmark, Germany and Italy have already been on the receiving end of lawsuits by the IFPI.

BLAME

Music industries around the world are continuing to blame file sharing for a global slump in music sales, although the figures produced have yet to prove the extent of a slump. Recent articles have reported the industry boasting falling CD prices, whilst complaining about falling revenue. In America, online sales were excluded from industry unit sales figures.

There is further conflicting evidence over whether file sharing is to blame for the quoted global slump.

THE INDUSTRY’S FIGHT

According to an IFPI survey, 70% of file sharers know that it is illegal to share unauthorized content on P2P networks. This poll follows press coverage of lawsuits in Europe, including criminal prosecutions in Italy and out of court settlements with 18 individuals from other EU states. Many other cases have yet to be settled.

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) chairman, Peter Jamieson, is pleased with the results. “This survey shows that our message is getting through. Unauthorized file-sharing is illegal. People using so-called file-sharing networks need to understand that if they do not stop, they face the risk of legal action.”

The BPI has sent over 175,000 instant messages to those downloading music in the UK, warning them of possible legal action.

Lawsuits elsewhere are being quoted as the cause of a fall in the number of files available on P2P networks. The industry believes that the number of available files has fallen over 25% since the peak of file sharing, in June 2003.

However, with the increased variety of file sharing applications and the lack of reliable information about the size of newer networks, industry figures are likely to be unreliable.

Lawsuits are aimed at moving consumers away from P2P applications and on to legitimate services, such as those provided by OD2.

The number of legal services has now topped the 100 mark globally. These services have fallen under heavy criticism for lack of content, expense and poor flexibility of the files downloaded. File sharers in Denmark, who are receiving the brunt of IFPI lawsuits, would only have 130,000 available tracks if they were to change to legal services.

MORE LAWSUITS TO COME

Berman quotes this as a success, saying, "Today's results show that litigation, combined with the rollout of new legal online music services, is having a real impact on people's attitudes to illegal file-sharing. On the strength of the developments in Denmark, Germany and Italy, we can confirm that there will be more legal actions in other countries in the near future.”

This story is filed in these Slyck News categories
Entertainment Industry :: IFPI
Legal/Courtroom :: Individual Lawsuits
File-Sharing/P2P Related :: International

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