Thank goodness it is Friday. Consumers International did a survey on the intellectual property laws and enforcement practices of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, the UK and the US, see here.
According to BBC News Consumers International decided that “UK law was least effective in balancing the interests of rights holders against those of consumers.” Read BBC News “UK ‘has the worst copyright laws’“, here.
Feargal Sharkey, yes the great singer of ‘A good heart’ and CEO of UK Music strongly opposes this view: “In particular, claims that Chinese and Indian consumers (and media) have greater freedoms to access copyrighted works than UK citizens are as ludicrous as they are offensive.“
Read more on MusicWeek, here.
The simple fact that China blocked the YouTube video of ‘A Good Heart’ below suggests Sharkey is right. This songs’ lyrics are appropriate and include:
“I hear a lot of stories
I suppose they could be true
All about intellectual property and what it can do to you
Highest risk of striking out
The risk of getting hurt
And still, I have so much to learn”
Ok, ok, I changed a word or two; listen to the original lyrics below and enjoy your weekend.
