Time for media companies to learn to live with file sharing

In the great debate over internet file sharing this is one of the dumber suggestions. Broadband suppliers supply the infrastucture by which we as consumers can access the internet. They should be free from prosecution over what is being transferred so that they can get on with the job of providing better services, rather than trying to police their own services, which we as consumers will ultimately pay for in higher costs. It also means more personal data will need to be saved and made available regarding our broadband habits, which has privacy concerns.

The truth is that now the cat is out of the bag, there is no way to un-invent the technology behind file sharing, nor stop people from using it. Media companies should instead learn how to use this new technology to their advantage and make money from it in some other way. Having failed to convince the courts that sites like Pirate Bay are responsible for the information they host, they are now going after the braodband suppliers.