Award-winning producers, directors and writers have called for action to tackle illegal downloads of films and TV shows which they say are threatening jobs.
A group of more than 100 UK film and TV producers, directors and writers have published an open letter in the Times calling for ISPs in that country to assist copyright holders in combating illegal file-sharing over their networks.
Oscar nominated directors Sir Alan Parker, Mike Leigh and Kenneth Branagh are among the household names who have called on the Government to address the problem of peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing and the widespread availability of illegal, free content via the internet.
The group of more than 100 also includes Four Weddings and a Funeral screenwriter Richard Curtis, Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry and The Fast Show writer Charlie Higson.
The campaign is backed by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta), the UK Film Council, the Cinema Exhibitors’ Association, actors’ union Equity, the Entertainment Retail Association, the Film Distributors’ Association and the British Video Association.
Callum MacDougall, the producer of this year’s James Bond blockbuster Quantum of Solace, said: "This call for action comes from some of the talent behind Britain’s much-loved films, but we make it not for our own benefit but in the interests of those involved in the creative process whose losses from online theft are proportionately much greater – this includes the technicians, the staff on set, those who work in cinemas and those on the high street who bring the enjoyment of film to millions."
Apparently never mind that the movie smashed UK box office records for an opening weekend in Britain. Is piracy really that bad in the UK with news like this? What amount of money is necessary to ensure that the "technicians, the staff on set, those who work in cinemas" are all fairly compensated? Double box office records?
Stephen Garrett, producer of the hit drama Spooks and managing director of Kudos Productions, said: "There is never a right time to ignore anything that threatens jobs, but in an economic downturn it is somewhere between irresponsibility and insanity. The creative economy sustains more than 800,000 jobs, so it is critical that Government tackles illegal file-sharing now."
What about the slippery slope it will mean if the govt begins filtering the Internet of content, not to mention the futility of it all?
The letter reads:
Sir, We are a group of UK film and TV producers, directors and writers who have made some of the UK’s most innovative and distinctive moving pictures and television programming. Our output entertains millions of people, employs tens of thousands in the UK’s creative sector, attracts foreign direct investment, wins awards and creates billions in revenue.
We are very concerned that the successes of the creative industries in the UK are being undermined by the illegal online file-sharing of film and TV content. At a time when so many jobs are being lost in the wider economy, it is especially important that this issue be taken seriously by the Government and that it devotes the resources necessary to enforce the law.
In 2007, an estimated 98 million illegal downloads and streams of films took place in the UK, while it is believed that more than six million people illegally file-share regularly. In relation to illegal downloads of TV programmes, the UK is the world leader, with up to 25 per cent of all online TV piracy taking place in the UK. Popular shows are downloaded illegally hundreds of thousands of times per episode.
We are asking the Government to show its support by ensuring that internet service providers play their part in tackling this huge problem.
The creative economy — of which film and television is part — comprises 7 per cent of the total economy, and is growing faster than any other sector. This is partly due to the ability of film and TV producers and their sponsors to continue contributing to the economy, creating jobs, generating tax revenue, and securing a return on the investments they make — all of which is now threatened by the widespread availability of illegal, free content.
Internet service providers have the ability to change the behaviour of those customers who illegally distribute content online. They have the power to make significant change and to prevent their infrastructure from being used on a wholesale scale for illegal activity. If they are not prepared to act responsibly, they should be compelled to do so.
It’s understandable reasonable for people in the TV and film industry to be concerned about being fairly compensated for their work, but trying to shape technology and society in order to achieve that end is the entirely wrong approach.
jared@zeropaid.com
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