Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 6th Feb 2006 18:27 UTC
"The proposed law would not make P2P both free and legal, although this popular misconception has persisted. Rather, P2P usage would be made legal in exchange for a monthly surcharge on Internet access, to the tune of circa EUR 5 [$6] per month. Some users are jumping for joy at the idea of being indemnified against copyright infringement for a mere EUR 60 [$72] a year, but not everyone. Like all taxes and surcharges, the fees would have to be paid by everyone, but not everyone thinks it's a great idea (especially the entertainment industry)."
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RE: I'd favour a different type of legalization
by Sphinx on Mon 6th Feb 2006 19:44
in reply to "I'd favour a different type of legalization"
Member since:2005-07-09
Member since:
2005-10-06
I'd prefer a different system for legalisation. It might be combined with this type of surcharge, but I'd like to see a system based on limiting the quality of the files that can be shared. It would keep sharing alive, and sharing isn't going to go away for anything short of totalitarian measures, but it would provide an incentive for people to buy what they like.
If the limit for a shared file is 96 kb/s MP3 or OGG there will be an audible difference with CD quality, or a high quality file purchased legally. The same thing could also be done for video the 96 kb/s would then apply to the soundtrack, with a different limit set for the video, at a guess I'd say something like 500 kb/s.
The bitrates might have to be revised from time to time because of new codecs (or they could be set per codec), but the basic system could survive changes in that area. It might even make file-sharing generate revenue for the music and film industries. People who have a chance to try a reduced quality sample legally will have a reason to buy official, high quality, versions of the stuff they like.