EU says copyright laws encourage piracy

The European Union’s digital agenda commissioner has said that money spent on pursuing those found guilty of breaching copyright has not helped to decrease piracy.

Aggressive legal tactics from certain rights holders has simply created an air of resentment and distrust for the whole copyright system, Neelie Kroes argues.

"Is the current copyright system the right and only tool to achieve our objectives? Not really," she argued. "We need to keep on fighting against piracy, but legal enforceability is becoming increasingly difficult; the millions of dollars invested trying to enforce copyright have not stemmed piracy.

"Citizens increasingly hear the word copyright and hate what is behind it. Sadly, many see the current system as a tool to punish and withhold, not a tool to recognise and reward.

"The life of an artist is tough: the crisis has made it tougher. Let’s get back to basics, and deliver a system of recognition and reward that puts artists and creators at its heart."

Sadly, Kroes offers little in the way of alternative suggestions for a better alternative to copyright enforcement.