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German industry optimistic about new government’s commitment to combating piracy

By | Published on Friday 30 October 2009

The German music industry has welcomed a commitment in the country’s new coalition government’s policy proposal document to protecting copyrights and other intellectual property.

The statement from the new government, which was sworn in at the German parliament in Berlin on Wednesday, follows months of lobbying from music types, who have been calling on German politicians to follow their counterparts in France who, of course, have been most draconian in their plans to crack down on internet piracy. Both the French and German music markets have been on the skids for years now – much more so that in the UK – and both blame rampant piracy for their bad fortunes. The future of the German music market is particularly important for global music players, it traditionally being one of the big revenue generators for record companies.

All that said, German political types do not seem too keen on France’s three-strikes system for combating online piracy and say so in their policy document. But the boss of German record labels trade body BVMI remains optimistic. According to Billboard, Dieter Gorny said: “The fact that the new government will not take initiatives for legal possibilities to block internet access does not mean that other possibilities will not be checked and realised to fight in an effective way the illegal use of music”.

As previously reported, The Pirate Party – the political organisation that advocates a major relaxation of copyright restrictions in the digital age – is active in Germany, and is sure to speak out against any moves by German ministers to crack down on online copyright infringement.



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