"People would only be cut off from the internet after ignoring two prior warnings."

A ridiculous idea in itself, but the fact that it is boomerang man Peter Mandelson who is trying to promote a "three strikes" policy makes it truly hilarious.

This proposal breaches the most basic principles of the rule of law and as such, should be ignored by anybody who has any respect for the rule of law.

Finland has just passed legislation making a minimum of 1MB broadband access a human right. If the rest of Europe (including the UK) follows suit this stupid decision by Mr Mandelson could bring up some interesting arguments (and lots of money for lawyers!).

Labour certainly know how to lose an oncoming election if nothing else. On your own heads labour more votes going anywhere but labour.

Quite right. First thing His Lordship has said worth listening to for a long time. Illegal downloading is simple theft.

As to the poster who mentioned human rights - grow up.

Who will decide if someone is an illegal file sharer, will there be a court proceeding, with evidence presented and a chance for a defence, or is guilt to be decreed from a back office somewhere?

File sharing is deemed illegal and attempts to enforce this are easy to implement because of the technology. Before the internet we all indulged in so called illegal copying onto tape, CD etc of music, TV programmes, films, etc. Technically that was illegal, but little could be done about it.

Just because it is now easy for the music industry to try and clamp down on file sharing, doesn't make it a justifiable thing to do. Most of us who download files do so for our own use and in reasonable quantities. We should all continue to do so and just ignore people like Mandelson.

The arcticle starts off by saying users who persistently DOWNLOAD files will be restricted, but then goes on to say that file SHARERS will be targeted.

How will the internet providers know what you are downloading from a server. For instance those who have to download large software patches from Microsoft. Will these be seen as illegal downloads because of the size?

"As to the poster who mentioned human rights - grow up." - Occasionally agreed with

I simply stated a fact about recent legislation in Finland. If you're going to shoot off about someone else's post, make sure you've both read and understood it first.

how is mandleson where he is today! several scandals and he still bounces back.
that fact labour allowed him back to where he is surely shows how way off they are. they arent on this planet, not even any other planet they're galaxys away from real life now.
can we have a general election now please. i dont think i can or this country can take much more of these idiots who are constantly steering ths country further into trouble.

"Illegal downloading is simple theft"

No, the definition of theft "the act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another"

If a file is downloaded what has been taken and carried away?

Occasionally agreed with: "Illegal downloading is simple theft."

Not it isn't. That's why nobody who does it is ever charged with theft.

citycentre: "Who will decide if someone is an illegal file sharer, will there be a court proceeding, with evidence presented and a chance for a defence, or is guilt to be decreed from a back office somewhere?"

The procedure they are proposing is that, if somebody accuses you three times, you will be presumed to be guilty, at which point action will be taken, following which you can appeal and attempt to argue your innocence. In other words, it's completely back to front. To be honest, I think they'll struggle to get away with it, so they'll have to set up some kind of kangaroo court process to give an air of legitimacy.

Gone in a single flush: "How will the internet providers know what you are downloading from a server. For instance those who have to download large software patches from Microsoft. Will these be seen as illegal downloads because of the size?"

The music labels will monitor publicly available torrents and track the IP addresses of people who are uploading and downloading files. In the long run, the whole thing will be ineffective, because:

If you share something on a private server, it can't be tracked.

If you encrypt a file and e-mail it, it can't be identified.

If you encrypt your web connection or use an onion router like Tor, while it would prevent you from uploading files, you would be able to download files without being tracked.

So, while it might create a bit of inconvenience, it won't stop people sharing. The luddities are fighting a losing battle.

Imagine if the authorities prosecuted everyone who has ever downloaded an item - the courts wouldn't have time to deal with the real criminals that blight our society.

Get real Scandelson almost everyone cannot afford to buy everything they download so these industries aren't losing as much as they think.

Lets get rid of madelson i dont know why hes back after the scandle he was in.Some kneck this government have..

Lets just face facts that music and DVD's in this country are grossly overpriced and if the music companies here lowered there prices then piracy wouldn't be such a huge problem.

"The procedure they are proposing is that, if somebody accuses you three times, you will be presumed to be guilty, at which point action will be taken, following which you can appeal and attempt to argue your innocence"

Sounds about right from this government, it seems we are all assumed guilty of something.

The only argument that the music industry has against illegal file sharing, the only one they ever use in trying to sound as though they actually care about anything other than dollar bills is: we are losing so much money that it is affecting our promotion of new up and coming talent. What a crock.

Are we to believe that the likes of Sony care about art or content? Right now we see the music industry robbing the grave of Michael Jackson the way they did Tupac. What a caring industry!

The fact is any up and coming new talent nowadays know that if they are to get anywhere it is by getting themselves online and sharing their music fro free via youtube, facebook, bebo, my space etc. Arctic Monkeys being a case in point. They were filling stadiums before they ever had a single out if I recall correctly. And everybody was singing along. The music industry needs to adapt or die out.

The interesting thing about this is that ISPs cannot actually implement this without monitoring what you are downloading. This in itself is a GROSS breach of privacy, and quite frankly no media company has the wherewithall or staffing abilities to police it.

Once again they are tackling something relatively minor instead of tackling the violence on our streets, or making people feel safe in their homes.

This all came about when Lord Slime was seen dining with a big wig in the music and film industry a few months ago he then announced this but he denied that this had been discussed with the big wig as usual you cannot believe a word that comes of slimes tongue. This government wants to make criminals of every citizen, think about it they are obsessed with CCTV they are everywhere watching us they have made over filling your dust bin a crime the more people who break their made up laws the bigger the DNA data base they want everyone’s DNA on file. I wouldn’t trust this lot especially Brown who has surrounded himself with unelected personnel as follows.

1. First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for business, Innovation and Skills and Lord President of the Council – The Rt Hon Lord Mandelson etc.
2. Leader of the House of Lords and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – The Rt Hon Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
3. Secretary of State for Transport – Lord Adonis
4. Attorney General The Rt Hon Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC
5. Advocate General for Scotland – Lord Davidson of Glen Clova QC
6. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (MoJ) – Lord Bach
7. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (HO) – Admiral Lord West of Spithead GCB DSC
8. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (DCSF) – Baroness Morgan of Drefelin
9. Minister of State (DECC) – Lord Hunt of Kings Heath OBE; and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
10. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (DOH) – Professor Lord Darzi of Denham KBE
11. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (DWP) – Lord McKenzie of Luton
12. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State* (DBIS) – Lord Young of Norwood Green (and Lord in Waiting – paid)
13. Financial Services Secretary (Treasury) – Lord Myners CBE
14. Minister of State (FCO) – The Rt Hon Lord Malloch-Brown KCMG
15. Minister of State – The Rt Hon Lord Drayson & (DBIS) (jointly with the Ministry of Defence)
Minister of State (MOD) – The Rt Hon Lord Drayson & (jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills)
16. Minister of State – Lord Davies of Abersoch CBE (DBIS) (jointly with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office)
Minister of State (FCO) – Lord Davies of Abersoch CBE (jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills)
17. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (DBIS) – Baroness Vadera (jointly with Cabinet Office) Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office) – Baroness Vadera (jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills)
18. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (FCO) – Baroness Taylor of Bolton (jointly with the Ministry of Defence)
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (MOD) – Baroness Taylor of Bolton (jointly with Foreign and Commonwealth Office)
New appointees to Brown's cabinet. Glynnis Kinnock and Alan Sugar.
All unelected to the government before it use to be democracy that got you into the government but not now, we should of known Browns views on democracy when he denied us the promised vote on Europe.

If i didn't download it, i wouldn't buy it anyway, i buy what really interests me, i have a modest DVD collection, and we go to the cinema if something really excites us, stopping me from downloading wouldn't give the music/film/TV industry any extra money from me, i would just wait until the film came on DVD and borrow it free from the library/friend, or until its on TV, it would just make my ISP lose money from me not buying into a big internet connection

then all the isp will be moaning that there,customers are fastly going,jobcuts/so on/ music is overprice

All you clever dicks might like to look at things from somebody else's view - for a change.

Imagine, you create music. It's how you make your living. You then find that everyone is accessing it for nothing. How would you feel?

The criminals here are the music and film industry. It's their decision to charge higher prices in the UK than they charge elsewhere that creates resentment and the will to get back at them by 'illegally' downloading. Typical of the retail industry in this country unfortunately. Thatcher's 'rip-off Britain' has never really gone away has it?

Occasionally agreed with: "Imagine, you create music. It's how you make your living. You then find that everyone is accessing it for nothing. How would you feel?"

I'd accept that advances in technology mean the world has changed and either try to find a way to make a living from music without running to the government for another handout, or get a different job. Unlike some, I don't believe the world owes me a living of my choosing.

The music labels are the modern day equivalent of the Luddities, who went round smashing industrial machinery because it threated their ability to make money from manual weaving, although, if the music industry had the guts to take the same approach as the Luddities and come around to my house and try to smash my computer, rather than whining to a corrupt government and trying to get them to do their dirty work, I'd have more respect for it.

"Imagine, you create music. It's how you make your living. You then find that everyone is accessing it for nothing. How would you feel?"

I feel fine. Artists get most of their money fron their contracts with the Music Labels. The UK is being ripped off by these people; look at itunes, a UK download 79 pence, a USA download 99 cents, why? Because the music industry are rip off merchants and now it's pay back time for the decades on artificially high prices we have had to pay.

Black Flag called them Luddites, and that's a good comparison. They need to move with the times and find other revenue streams. Here's an idea, reduce the price of downloads to a sensible level, then see the volume of legal downloads rocket. BUT if we want to file share for our own use it's nothing to do with anyone else, and impossible to stop, and why should it stop, we're in the internet world now not the vinyl world.

Idiots like Mandelson and the dinosaurs of the music industry need a reality check.