Today's Plagiarism Today

There's a couple of interestingly-spun items in today's round up of Intellectual Capitalism on the Plagiarism Today website.

First, there's the news of a tenfold increase in UK fines for "piracy" offences:

This, in some cases, ten fold increase has caught the attention of many who worry that the fines may be used indiscriminately. Meanwhile, those in copyright industries are applauding the higher fine, even though they had originally hoped for jail sentences for online infringements as well.

All of this was part of a consultation between the Intellectual Property Office and the public. The IPO is now drafting legislation to be voted on that most people feel has a solid chance of passing.

A consultation with the public led to the suggestion of a tenfold increase in fines of unlicensed duplication? Where did they find this "public"? The staff canteen of EMI? Trimming Bono's hedges?

Meanwhile, PT also gets annoyed with Europe, and in particular the European Parliament voting against "graduated response". Graduated response is what supporters of three strikes call it, insisting that a judge should be involved in any decision to throw "copyright infringers" off the internet. Imagine that - a judge involved, like it was the crime the music industry always claims it is:

The bills are now headed for yet another round of negotiation proving once again that bureaucracy is alive and well in the EU.

So, giving consideration to matters which ends up with a decision the the IP capitalists like is a "public consultation"; giving consideration to a decision that goes against them is "bureaucracy." I mean, heaven forbid that people should actually think about a law which could cut people off from participation in their nation's life just because Warner Records says so, eh?