UK music industry puts 5 through court who refused to settle

August 3, 2005

Even though the RIAA is doing a very good job at getting the individuals it sues to settle for their unauthorised sharing of copyright works, in the UK five file sharers refused to settle with the BPI, despite over 60 settling out of court so far. As a result, the BPI has decided to take court action against these five, consisting of three men and two women. Together, they shared 8,906 songs online without permission according to the BPI.

Those who have settled paid up to Â£6,500 each in out-of-court settlements. For those who refused to settle, the BPI is seeking full damages against these to cover the potential loss they incurred including all legal costs. To date, in 12 countries where the music industries target individuals who share copyrighted music without permission, over 14,000 individuals have faced legal action. Quakester2000 used our news submit to let us know about the following news:

The three men and two women made a total of 8,906 songs available over the internet, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said in its civil case.

More than 60 alleged file-sharers have settled out of court in the UK, paying up to Â£6,500 each in compensation.

The BPI said it "cannot let illegal file-sharers off the hook".

The five alleged file-sharers live in King's Lynn, Crawley in West Sussex, Port Talbot, Brighton and South Glamorgan.

"We have tried to agree fair settlements, but if people refuse to deal with the evidence against them, then the law must take its course," said BPI general counsel Geoff Taylor.

"We will be seeking an injunction and full damages
for the losses they have caused, in addition to the considerable legal
costs we are incurring as a result of their illegal activity."

Up until now, all we heard about were the settlement costs when it came to the RIAA's lawsuits, but then again with the average settlement of $3,000, it seems that the majority are willing to pay this rather than go through court. However, with such high settlements the BPI is after, it is no wonder why a few people decided not to settle.

There is a good chance that they simply could not get the cash to pay the settlement, leaving no option but to refuse to pay, despite what the BPI claims are fair settlements they have been after. Unfortunately this makes matters worse for these five, since they will now have to face court and potentially be forced to pay the full loss the BPI recons they caused, not to mention court costs and other legal costs. In the end, it seems that the worst affected may be those who simply could not have afforded to purchase music in the first place!

Feel free to discuss and find out more about file sharing services and their legal issues on our Music Download, Peer to Peer (P2P) & Legal Issues.

Source: BBC News - Technology