UK government has been making constant efforts to stop online piracy at all cost. They have even gone ahead to block websites like Kickasstorrents and The Pirate Bay. According to a new legislation being considered by the government, online piracy could cause the individual a jail sentence of up to 10 years. This comes as good news to copyright holders who have in the past vestibule for harsher punishments for online pirates. The heavy sentence is not only for the distributors but also for those who actively upload illegal content to torrent websites.
This move by the government is intended to act as a deterrent force for those people who frequently download pirated materials. According to the Intellectual Property Minister, Baroness Neville-Rolfe, the government takes copyright infringement very serious since it has a direct impact on the economy of the country, the businesses, and consumers both on and off. He further explains the reason why they are trying to toughen up the penalties for commercial-scale online offending is protect the businesses and to send a clear message to the criminals who are still at large.
However, those who lobby against the prison sentences for online piracy are still doubtful whether prison sentences is going to serve as a rein force for those who take part in the illegal downloading and distribution of these copyrighted materials. Remember, the reason why online piracy is so alive in the UK is the fact that even though this country is often considered better than most European countries, most of the film, music and TV shows still end up entering the late from the United States. This is also the main reason why HBO started streaming Game of Thrones the same day it is released in the United States.
In as much as the heavier punishment sounds scary for distributors, it is also unlikely that these distributors are usually active in the UK. For instance like EZTV, it is a secret group that is found all over the world. Therefore, piracy cannot be totally be gotten rid off.