Busting illegal downloaders
EXCLUSIVE In the government’s war against copyright infringement, the face of piracy is no longer a DVD stall blaring music at a weekly pasar malam.
Instead it is the tech-savvy upper middle-income youngster, hunched over the computer downloading blockbusters released only weeks ago, or an entire album of songs, all in the privacy of the bedroom.
EXCLUSIVE In the government’s war against copyright infringement, the face of piracy is no longer a DVD stall blaring music at a weekly pasar malam.
Instead it is the tech-savvy upper middle-income youngster, hunched over the computer downloading blockbusters released only weeks ago, or an entire album of songs, all in the privacy of the bedroom.
And the government has been stumped as to how to deal with this - up to now.
In an interview, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob unveiled a grand plan to curb illegal downloading and shared his views on the evils of piracy and on strengthening the Copyright Act.
While record labels in the US or UK employ executives to trawl the web, peering into users’ shared file folders on their computers through the open network of peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing or torrent websites, it is hardly the case in Malaysia.
Malaysians have been downloading P2P software, which serves as a gateway to absolutely any file on any active user’s shared folders, copying and sharing them with relative ease since over 10 years ago.
With the advent of high-speed broadband, coupled with the surging popularity of wireless broadband offered by a variety of telcos, the phenomenon is showing no sign of slowing down.
And it is catching the eye of captains of industry of the local recording and motion picture industry, who have been calling for something to be done to stop illegal downloading from the Internet since 2007.
In just 10 years, revenue has plummeted six-fold, with record companies reporting total earnings of RM57 million in 2008, a paltry sum compared to RM315 million in 1997.
The ministry has spooked the public with the prospect of harsh penalties, saying that anyone caught downloading illegally could face a minimum fine of RM250,000 under the Copyright Act.
So why hasn’t anyone been brought to justice yet?
“It’s just difficult to enforce. How are we going to control people who download in their own homes?” asked Ismail Sabri.
Powerful tool
However, he said that the Copyright Act, which is currently being revised by the ministry and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, will soon have a bite to match its bark.
In the Bill which is expected to be tabled soon for first reading in Parliament, the ministry will unleash a powerful weapon - blockage from the Internet Service Providers (ISP).
Ismail Sabri said that Malaysia, after extensive study of mechanisms to curb illegal downloading, may follow the South Korean model which makes ISPs block those found to be downloading illegally.
South Korea is just one of the few countries which place the ISPs at the centre of their efforts to combat illegal downloading.
The involvement of government agencies varies from country to country and, in some cases, it is the record labels that approach the ISPs - sometimes with threats of legal action - to stop errant Internet users.
Punishment varies, but after several warnings, the user could face the prospect of the broadband connection being cut if found to be downloading illegally.
Once the legalities of the amended Copyright Act go into full swing, which Ismail Sabri expects to be next year, the ministry is set to form a committee which will include the Malaysian Communications And Multimedia Commission.
Through this, he hopes that the ministry will finally be one step ahead of the tech-savvy downloaders, who seem to be able to elude the long arm of the law.
The official response will not be only be about meting out punishment, he said, as the government wants to take a ‘carrot-and-stick’ approach to the situation.
“It is not just about introducing laws, but also about educating people to respect intellectual property. We have to instill that culture,” said Ismail Sabri, whose son is a pop singer.
The minister is quick to quell public fears that such moves could eventually infringe on their personal space and then cause a privacy snafu.
“It is not like we are going to bust down bedroom doors and start arresting people in their homes,” he said.
He also said that he is prepared for the criticism that he expects to come his way, but said he will remain steadfast.
“I know that a lot of people will think that this is too drastic to be implemented in such a short period of time. But it is just something we have to do,” he said.
Tomorrow: Hoarding and subsidies
