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macnn/electronista

01/29/2008, 4:05pm, EST

Tuesday, January 29th

U2 manager blames ISPs for Internet piracy

Internet service providers should be the focus of blame for continuing music piracy, says the manager for the internationally famous rock band U2. Paul McGuinness, speaking at the current MIDEM conference in Cannes, France, has argued that ISPs should be disconnecting those who download tracks illegally. ISPs have "been at our trough for too long," McGuinness says, and a part of the "shoddy, careless and downright dishonest way" in which artists have been treated in the era of digital music.

Governments and record labels are not without fault though, McGuinness believes. He accuses the institutions for creating a "thieves' charter" by suggesting that ISPs are not responsible by what passes through their networks. "If you were a magazine advertising stolen cars, handling the money for stolen cars and seeing to the delivery of stolen cars, the police would soon be at your door," he claims.

BBC News notes that McGuinness' view is at odds with groups like the Internet Service Providers Association, which contends that ISPs are "merely a conduit" for peer-to-peer file sharing. Of greater concern may be the US' Federal Communications Commission, which maintains a net neutrality policy, under which ISPs are not allowed to dictate how customers use their bandwidth.


Filed under: industry
Other story tags: music, piracy, net neutrality, U2, MIDEM

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216076 01/29, 4:27pm, EST That's like saying...
that the Department of Transportion is responsible for every car crash that happens because the Dept. of Trans. built and funded the road system_

So does one lose brain cells the higher up the corporate ladder you climb or are these folks randomly drawn out of a hat?

In that picture - he looks like he's been "tippin' th' bottle" a little more than he should_

posted by UberFu

216077 01/29, 4:46pm, EST that's like...
blaming car manufacturers because people speed! How silly.

posted by smitch

216078 01/29, 4:54pm, EST it's true!
the ISP's are to blame. He is 100% correct! They are the ones who give internet connection to everyone. If they would simply close up shop, internet piracy would come to a halt!!!!

Lets also get the government involved in making a law that prohibits people from driving cars. This will pretty much eliminate drunk driving accidents!!!

posted by eldarkus

216079 01/29, 4:59pm, EST I AGREE!
Let's stop this foul bane upon society and disable the internet for everyone forever!

BAN THE INTERNET, NOW!

posted by designr

216080 01/29, 5:01pm, EST U2
lets boycot U2 and see what happens...:)

posted by Guest

216081 01/29, 5:02pm, EST well lets just...
cut the internet off completely and go back to vinyl. Come on. ISPs don't get a cut from pirate data traffic! Course we could all become like water marshals and report everybody we suspect is pirating. Chances are you know more people that are illegal downloaders than your ISP. Why don't you report them? There are phone numbers to do that you know.

posted by smitch

216082 01/29, 5:09pm, EST who's feeding in
who's trough?

I don't think piracy (recently revealed to be a smaller percentage than previously claimed) is the answer to gripes with the record industry any more than I think ISPs should be held accountable for stupid people.

Place the blame and penalties on the people that steal. AT&T doesn't get fined for carrying conversations regarding plans for an illegal activity. The newspaper doesn't get fined for carrying want ads that turn out to be the sale of illegally obtained products.

posted by Flying Meat

216083 01/29, 5:12pm, EST McGuinness
out of a 100,000 sperms this one gets to make it!!

posted by BelugaShark

216088 01/29, 5:31pm, EST jackass
People who shoplift CDs always walk through a door. Why can't the door manufacturers do something about it!!??

And what does this guy care? Is U2 losing money to piracy? Highly doubtful. More likely - he was kissing ass at the conference, trying to appear as some trendy, tech-savvy "concerned" person. Which makes him even more of a...

Doofus.

posted by robttwo

216089 01/29, 5:45pm, EST ?
U who?

posted by Guest

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