Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group, writes about the Digital Economy Bill: The Open Rights Group would like to thank the Lib Dems for taking a strong policy stance against the Digital Economy Bill’s disconnection and web blocking proposals. The biggest danger now is that Parliament will not debate or amend the Bill at

Yesterday Don Foster (Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary) kindly gave over some time to talk about his views on the Digital Economy Bill and the line the party is taking. It’s a topic we’ve often covered on The Voice, particularly the question of the balance between carrot and stick in responding to internet piracy.

The Liberal Democrats have now withdrawn their support for the Digital Economy Bill, in a revision of the original plan to vote against certain elements in the “washup” (the last-minute rush to pass laws without debate or detailed scrutiny at the end of a Parliament). Paul Burstow, Liberal Democrat Chief Whip announced on Twitter earlier

Those of us who listen to MP3s on our mobile phones or in the car, have been poorly served by the music download industry so far. Digital rights protection has been a right pain, so I’ve been buying music on CDs I never listen to, just rip to MP3. Now thanks to Amazon, that’s all

Commenting on today’s deal between ISPs and the music industry on how to clamp down on illegal file downloading, Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster said: "This is a welcome step forward in dealing with piracy, which is having a serious impact on the British music industry. But we have to accept that there is no single solution to solving this problem. "The...

At least 7 million people in Britain use illegal downloads, costing the economy billions of pounds and thousands of jobs, according to a report. Shared content on one network was worth about £12bn a year according to the research commissioned by the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property. The peer-to-peer network had 1.3 million users sharing files at midday on a weekday. If each...

Responding to today’s publication of Lord Carter’s report into the future of the digital economy, the The Interim Digital Britain Report, Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster said:

The European parliament votes to regulate the cost of cross-border downloads, a move that is set to benefit travellers checking their email or using mobile networks to browse the internet

The BBC reported over the weekend: An influential group of MPs and peers has said the government’s approach to illegal file-sharing could breach the rights of internet users. The Joint Select Committee on Human Rights said the government’s Digital Economy Bill needed clarification. It said that technical measures – which include cutting off persistent pirates – were not

The Government in unveiling new legislation which could see people who illegally download music and films having their internet connection slowed down or cut off altogether.