Why it's time for action.(Viewpoint)

No one joins the music business expecting to threaten the public with legal action. But that was the strange and rather uncomfortable position we found ourselves in last week.

When the BPI Council first got wind last year of the RIAA's plan to launch a litigation campaign against illegal downloaded, it's no exaggeration to say we were aghast.

And yet, little more than a year later, I spent most of the end of last week briefing the media that we too are now actively considering a strategy which could involve taking legal action.

A number of things changed our minds, but none more than the increasing scale of illegal downloading in the UK.

When we embarked on a research study into downloading late last year, we didn't imagine quite how shocking the results would be.

Although the BPI has been busy stepping up education and awareness of copyright law and its place in the new technologies, it is clear that without a strong deterrent much of this activity is wasted. Retailers employ staff ...