Internet Piracy Will Not Stop so Easily, Believes Carphone CEO
CEO of Carphone Warehouse, Charles Dunstone, finds government policy to reduce the broadband speed of any web user violating copyright laws to be futile. He said that it would be a bad strategy to penalize pirates through such steps.
Dunstone told The Guardian that illegal downloading has spread its tentacles across the cyber world; so checking it would require much more work than what the government has proposed. He said a mass awareness campaign on the benefits of respecting copyright could be a positive way of controlling the menace. Quick and easy-on-the-pocket access to content can also significantly reduce copyright violations.
Dunstone also commented on the ‘myopic view’ of the government in blaming peer-to-peer file sharing, saying that it is not the only means by which net piracy thrives. He explained that if measures of speed control or severing connections for peer-to-peer users are applied, users will simply start hiding and sharing their data in other more sophisticated ways. Dealing with just P2P would be like hacking just one branch of a giant tree that has its roots dug deep in every sphere of online activity.
Dunstone also warned against politicians not exercising their judgement before passing hasty regulations, the failures of which might taint the government’s image before the public.
Dunstone voiced his apprehensions on piracy following the announcement of his company’s yearly pre-tax profit. With a £4m increase in profits over last year, Carphone now boasts of a profit of £133m.
