Illegal downloads

BBC Learning English
Words in the News
29th
May 2009
Illegal downloads
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2009
Page 1 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com

Around seven million people in the UK are involved in illegal downloads at huge cost to the
economy - but changing attitudes is going to be tough. A report warns that criminalising
people who download illegally may not be the right course. Rory Cellan-Jones reports:

The report for a body advising the government on copyright looks at consumer attitudes to
illegal downloading. Researchers found 1.3 million people online on just one file-sharing
network on a weekday and worked out that over a year, they were getting free access to
material worth 120 billion pounds.

The report says seven million people who download illegally in the UK can't all be students,
older people must also be involved. But it says there's uncertainty about what is or is not
illegal, and the fact that so much on the internet is free only adds to the confusion.

The report warns the government that criminalising downloaders could have huge economic
costs and might not even work.

Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC


Words in the news © British Broadcasting Corporation 2009
Page 2 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com

Vocabulary and definitions

body here, organisation, institution
copyright the legal right of either creative artists or publishers to
control the use and reproduction of their original works
consumer attitudes to here, how downloaders feel about
getting free access to here, able to download without paying
must also be involved here, look certain to be using illegal downloads as well
there's uncertainty about nobody knows for sure
adds to the confusion makes the situation even less clear
criminalising treating somebody as a criminal and/or making what they
do punishable under the criminal law

More on this story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8073068.stm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20090116_downloading.shtml


Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/05/090529_witn_downloads.shtml