Software pirates face ten years in jail

[Martin Keegan]

On Tue, 16 Apr 2002, Jeremy Barker wrote:

> This legislation corrects what is really a bug in the law. The existing 2-year
> maximum sentence for copyright offences is a joke and has been long overdue for
> correction. When the bill becomes law the 10-year maximum sentence for
> copyright offences will be the same as the maximum for trade mark offences.

A disturbing element has been the rhetoric used in promoting the bill,
conflating property with intellectual property. Property rights are of a
much more absolute character than IP rights, and it is no anomaly that the
penalties for violating one should differ from the other.

Mk