Peer-To-Peer News - The Week In Review - May 29th, '04

[TankGirl]

Thanks for another excellent WiR, Jack!

As the case of the new Italian legislation demonstrates, the battle over p2p and copyrights is only getting tougher. It is becoming an international showcase of people's will against corporate will, people's power against corporate power. There is much more at stake than the profits of the copyright industries. Who owns and controls the cultural information? Do we have a right to private communications? Can we have full control over our own computers, or do we have to give a remote control to the Big Brother?

For the time being the corporate party of the battle has the advantage of parliaments around the world approving harsh laws against file sharers, thanks to years of well-organized lobbying and corruption among politicians and legislators. This advantage is luckily bound to wear out though. Heightened media attention in itself will make corruption more difficult and risky, and due to the hot nature of the issue we can also expect new (or reborn ) politicians with pro-p2p attitudes and agendas to emerge to balance the situation.

- tg