Today the founders of the world’s biggest copyright-theft website, Pirate Bay, were sentenced to a year in jail after being found guilty in a Swedish court of promoting copyright infringement.
“Although I dislike seeing any man or woman deprived of their liberty”, says Peter, “today’s verdict was the right one – and it sends a clear message to other websites who are getting fat and rich while allowing others to steal the very food from authors’ tables.”
“This isn’t about freedom on the net”, he says, “or the rights of the individual versus the corporation. It’s about you our listener – and your future as a writer. And whether it’s right for other people to steal your work – just because they can. Because that’s the Pirate Bay philosophy in a nutshell – as their founder expresses it: if I want it – I take it – ‘cos I can.”
Both LITOPIA AFTER DARK and LITOPIA DAILY will continue to break and indeed make news about protecting authors’ right on the net – so make sure you listen to both our shows: we’re really in the forefront of this most important issue that profoundly affects all writers.
On tonight’s show…
- We ask you to imagine some of the world’s greatest literary classics condensed into just a few lines of txt
- We find out how much a school kid is really worth
- We discover how a mobile phone can destroy your plot… and
- We learn why you should not ever sign a copy of your book.
Joining Peter on the panel tonight are:
- From England’s west country Litopia stalwart Dave Bartram
- From Fort Lauderdale, Florida, leading lawyer, author and Litopia Daily’s newshound, Donna Ballman
- We bid a very welcome return to author Amanda Lees - the third book in her critically-acclaimed Kumari trilogy for young adults, Kumari Goddess of Destiny, is in the shops now
- And – making her first appearance – best-selling author for teens Cathy Hopkins – creator of the MATES, DATES – TRUTH DARE and CINNAMON GIRL series
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Photo by Ewan T
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