No Rock And Roll Fun

KIDS? THEY'RE TARGETS, SAYS BPI: A journalist asked the BPI, presumably mistaking them for gentlemen, if they'd follow their Daddies in the RIAA in taking legal action against preteens. Of course, snarled the BPI, while they wouldn't go out of their way to throw kiddies into prison: "It is not our intention to target children but [we will] if they are breaking the law on a very large scale."

Still, it's not just the BPI making themselves look evil: Estelle Morris is adding the government's weight to the legal campaign. Estelle - who of course resigned as education secretary because she was out of her depth - seems not to be quite able to touch the bottom of the downloading debate, either:

"Piracy is theft - pure and simple. Whether it's Jamelia or a jobbing musician, the artist suffers. We owe it to them to make sure they get a fair return for their creativity, flair and inspiration. The government supports the principle of proportionate legal action against the worst offending uploaders. I hope it will stop the habitual offender who uploads to make a quick buck out of other people's talent."

Righto, so if it's meant to be about the artists, how come it's not the artist's representatives who are bringing the actions? The BPI are the voice of the labels, surely? And what's all this about "making a quick buck"? Is Estelle so poorly briefed she thinks that people charge for eDonkey downloads? Perhaps it's just as well she's giving it up at the end of this Parliament.