The maximum prison sentence for online pirates in the UK is set to quintuple in the coming year.
The previous maximum sentence of two years has been extended to ten, despite strong opposition from Britain’s Intellectual Property Office.
The Intellectual Property Office published the results of a consultation launched last year, which looked at increasing the possible penalties facing people who engage in online copyright infringement. The vast majority of respondents, around 98%, opposed an increase.
“The Government believes that online offences should be treated no less seriously than their physical counterparts,” the official response to the consultation says.
“Harmonising these will provide a deterrent effect to criminals and, where criminality continues, provide for tangible punitive action.”
South Africa has also recently seen an increase of piracy-related arrests, and stricter international laws mean we could see similarly strict sentences in South Africa.
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So 98% of people were opposed, yet it was forced through anyway. Democracy anyone?