Lib Dem Lords' amendments could deny UK users access to YouTube
Digital Economy bill amendments could deny YouTube access
03 Mar 2010, Dave Bailey, Computing
http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/1844743/digital-economy-amendments-deny-youtube-access
Liberal Democrat Lords Razzall and Clement-Jones have proposed an amendment to the Digital Economy bill which could see UK ISPs forced to block web sites with a high proportion of copyright-infringing content.
That could mean users are prevented from viewing highly popular sites such as YouTube.
The key passage in the amendment says: "The High Court shall have power to grant an injunction against an [internet] service provider, requiring it to prevent access to online locations specified in the order of the Court."
A further statement in the amendment says that this would apply when a substantial proportion of the content accessible at or via each specified online location infringes copyright.
If the amendment is upheld, ISPs may be legally required to block sites such as YouTube in the UK.
The Digital Economy bill is currently in the report stage at the House of Lords before its third reading in the Commons.
But whether it will receive assent before the upcoming general election remains to be seen.
The Digital Economy bill was announced in the Queen's speech in November 2009, with a major section dedicated to how best to deal with illegal file sharing. The speech also revealed details on how the digital radio switchover would be achieved.
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The Real Threat
These three masterpieces of movie photography Corfe Triplet: Second Movement (Corfe Castle & Village) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DjypRGVX6E combined with it?s of Classical Music sound track is one of the Greatest losses in its field. Why EMI have allegedly protested about the use of their Music without seeing the enormous potential there is in signing agreed contracts between the ?Movie Maker? and them beggars belief.
This Bill and its threat to Global Economics are fully disclosed here http://carl-agpcuk.livejournal.com/4301.html under the heading of: Are all Copyright?s and patents under threat?
If anyone should complain as to ?Copyright Infringement? it should perhaps be me. As after releasing the Formula for ? Worlds First Communications High Capacity Super Controller? under strictly controlled contracts to BT in 1995 I am informed it is allegedly being used in breach of agreements in the MoD. Download Proof document as to system here: http://tinyurl.com/ycsgu49
Signed Carl Barron Chairman of agpcuk
Posted by: Carl Barron 04 Mar 2010
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong
YouTube has next to no chance of being blocked.
Looks like you have misunderstood the ammendments.
They are to cover file sharing and download sites.
Typical overestimation of a small change!!
Posted by: Mike S 03 Mar 2010
WHAT!!!
If ISP's are cutting services will this mean that they will also cut the cost of monthly bills? There is so much I could say to this but I can't but I am still going to try.
What a load of £%%^*ng $%^$*x I thought we beat the Nazis (nods his head in despair)
Posted by: Johnny Rotton 03 Mar 2010
Stop this Bill
This bill has to be stopped.
I have written to my MP (Tony Baldry) in-numerable times about this and the secret treaty ACTA covering IP/rights which being negotiated around the world.
It is not only the industry lobbyists but also the ACTA negotiations which are behind the bill. (See http://syganymede.blogspot.com/2010/02/acta-new-isp-limits-criminal-threats.html)
The Bill has to be stopped and a proper public and open debate held on the issues. Otherwise yet another of our basic freedoms of speech and expression will be gone.
Posted by: Antony Watts 04 Mar 2010
No Mike, you've misunderstood
I've just watched the whole Lords 'debate' about this and this amendment is not restricted to sharing/download sites. They specifically talk about any sites that have copyright infringement problems.
In fact they even argue how sites with legitimate material will be blocked.
Posted by: Rory 05 Mar 2010
jobs for the boys....
This bill isn't anything to do with protecting an industry and protecting the funding of new talent! This is about a meeting Peter Mandelson had with Paul Geffen a music BILLIONAIRE who wants the little people to stop taking small pieces of his very large pie! In fact if all of the music execs and overpaid artists put just 2% of thier grotesque wealth back into the industry there wouldn't be a problem! In fact more money would be available for artists!!!
So Mr Mandelson and Mr Geffen and the rest of you self-serving parasites who think the entire public population are F**K WITS, some of us are not and I would ask if there are any multi-millionaires out there who want to put a bit back, give some money now and fight this law, because we all know in a digital age this law is ILLEGAL!! If I want to give something of mine to somebody else that is my absolute right to do so!! Whoever seriously challenges this law will have the backing of MILLIONS of people and governments don't ignore that kind of power!
'Power to the people' has never meant as much as it does right now in these early years of the digital age! 
Ignore it at your peril...  
Posted by: Stephen Lee 19 Mar 2010
The intention and application of a law are not always the same!
What a law was intended to do, and how it is actually applied are very often completely different.
No one expected the Terrorism Act would allow Met Police to be conducting nearly 200,000 stop and searches a year. What about the Human Rights Act? This latest Bill could facilitate the same censoring of free speech they experience in China.
Posted by: Tim A 26 Mar 2010
The great wall of UK
We'll be banning Google next like the Chinese have!
Posted by: Kevin Cole 08 Apr 2010
this law should not be allowed to pass
We are not living in China and we should have freedom when it comes to information. Furthermore, if people want to buy music they will. And this is not going to stop some people from downloading. i FEEL like they are putting us in slavery again.
Posted by: rosemary gomes 12 Apr 2010
Not so wrong
This Bill does have provisions to shutdown "locations" on the Internet that provide links to pirated material. The Lords debated this and made it clear that it is not "their" intention for it to be used against "real search engines". Looks like someone is going to choose what search engines we can and can't use now.
The demographic that will be most affected will be parents who are not systems administrators with one or more children between the ages of 14 and 24. This Bill effectively punishes parents for the downloading activities of their children.
This Bill is just the beginning. It will introduce American-style litigation to the UK, by-passing the Judiciary as much as possible. In the US over a third of the revenue generated by the music industry comes from litigation.
Everyone brace themselves for ACTA too - something being secretly negotiated by 27 European ministers on behalf of 500 million EU citizens, contrary to provisions in the Lisbon Treaty.
Posted by: Vanessa 03 Apr 2010