The threat of legal action and hefty fines has done little to stop internet users around the world trading music and video files, according to a new study of network traffic.
The vast majority of shared files are copyrighted music or video, making the sharing illegal. In an effort to stamp out infringements, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) started a legal assault on hundreds of alleged US file-sharers in September 2003.
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) followed suit in March 2004, announcing plans to sue prolific file-sharing infringers in Germany, Denmark and Canada. Some reports have suggested that these legal attacks have caused file-sharing to fall dramatically. But the study conducted by network monitoring company Sandvine, based in Ontario, Canada, reached a different conclusion.
“There’s been no decline in the number of people file-sharing,” says Chris Colman, European managing director for Sandvine.
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