Court threat to UK song swappers
The UK's record industry has issued illegal music downloaders with a warning that they must stop pirating music or face action in the courts.
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has said 7.4 million people in the UK are swapping songs online illegally. "It is causing real financial damage to everyone involved in the business," said BPI chairman Peter Jamieson.
A new instant messaging campaign on the internet will be used to warn users they are obtaining music illegally. It will tell downloaders they should disable their file-sharing software - or face court action.
The BPI has blamed a small number of "serial uploaders" for making thousands of music files available for sharing over the internet illegally.
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Q&A: Will I be sued for music-swapping?
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is threatening to sue individual music fans who swap song files over the internet.
This follows action by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which has sued 1,977 downloaders.
BBC News Online looks at what this could mean for music swappers around the world, and the issues behind the latest tactics.
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