October 13, 2004 11:52

THE NME DOWNLOADING DEBATE

Have your say about the latest announcement by the BPI…

The BRITISH PHONOGRAPHIC INDUSTRY (BPI) announced yesterday (October 7) that they are taking legal action against 28 UK file sharers, kicking off a rolling programme of legal action against "major uploaders" – and NME wants to know what you think about it.

The organisation say that more cases are expected to follow, meaning that potentially thousands of downloaders may face legal action in the future.

In March, the BPI first introduced a new instant messaging campaign on the Internet that warned downloaders when they are obtaining music illegally and to disable their file-sharing software or face being sued. NME.COM launched their own investigation into whether the threat of court proceedings will put a stop to file-sharers' illegal actions and whether downloaders really do spend less money buying music.

This week’s announcement of the first actions in the UK coincides with an announcement from international record companies’ trade body, the IFPI, of 457 new legal actions against illegal file sharers across six European countries. This mirrors the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA), who launched their clampdown in September 2003.

We want to know how the latest moves by the BPI affect you. Has it made you angry, outraged, scared or delighted? To have your say in our exclusive poll click here.

Alternatively, you can email news@nme.com telling us your opinion and leaving your contact details so we can get back to you.