Fry vents file-sharing fury at music industry

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 13 Jul 2009 at 12:16

Stephen Fry has launched a ferocious attack on the music industry's approach to file sharing.

Speaking at the iTunes Live event last night, Fry claimed that in seeking to disconnect file sharers from the internet "the film business, the television business, the music business - is doing the wrong thing".

And Fry was just warming up. He claimed that attacking individual file sharers such as Jammie Thomas, the woman hit with a record $1.92 million fine for downloading 24 songs, "is the stupidest thing the recording industry can do."

He claimed the real target were those downloading on "an industrial scale" and looking to make a profit on their activity. He then ripped into "those preposterous" advertisements on DVDs warning that illegally downloading a movie is the same as stealing a handbag.

"[Is the music industry] so blind... as to think that someone who bit-torrents an episode of 24 is the same as someone who steals somebody's handbag," he asked.

He finished off by admitting he'd illegally downloaded episodes of House, the series featuring his former comedy partner Hugh Laurie, because he hadn't been able to buy it legally. However, he claimed he had subsequently paid for the series.

Intriguingly, after the event Fry admitted on Twitter that he hadn't planned what he was going to say and even seemed surprised by his comments.

"Have I laid myself open to attack?" He wondered, before writing. "Hope I'm not misunderstood. Such a pity if I get misrepresented as a 'help yourself and be a pirate' advocate."