007 exec producer and Charlie Higson lobbying Westminster for anti-piracy action

16-Dec-2008 • Bond News

Award-winning producers, directors and writers have called for action to tackle illegal downloads of films and TV shows which they say are threatening jobs reports The Press Association.

Oscar nominated directors Sir Alan Parker, Mike Leigh and Kenneth Branagh are among the household names who have called on the Government to address the problem of peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing and the widespread availability of illegal, free content via the internet.

The group of more than 100 also includes Four Weddings and a Funeral screenwriter Richard Curtis, Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry and The Fast Show and Young Bond writer Charlie Higson.

The group of more than 100 called for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to assist rights owners in stamping out file-sharing over their networks.

The campaign is backed by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta), the UK Film Council, the Cinema Exhibitors' Association, actors' union Equity, the Entertainment Retail Association, the Film Distributors' Association and the British Video Association.

Callum MacDougall, the executive producer of this year's James Bond blockbuster Quantum of Solace, said: "This call for action comes from some of the talent behind Britain's much-loved films, but we make it not for our own benefit but in the interests of those involved in the creative process whose losses from online theft are proportionately much greater - this includes the technicians, the staff on set, those who work in cinemas and those on the high street who bring the enjoyment of film to millions."

Stephen Garrett, producer of the hit drama Spooks and managing director of Kudos Productions, said: "There is never a right time to ignore anything that threatens jobs, but in an economic downturn it is somewhere between irresponsibility and insanity. The creative economy sustains more than 800,000 jobs, so it is critical that Government tackles illegal file-sharing now."

A Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) consultation on illicit P2P file-sharing finished at the end of October and it is due to report back soon.

A BERR spokesman said: "We completely agree that piracy is a very important issue, which is why in July this year the Government brought together the film and music industries with the main UK Internet Service Providers to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) pledging to crack down on unlawful file sharing."

The spokesman added: "We will also be publishing the interim Digital Britain Report early in the year which will also consider peer-to-peer file-sharing in the context of wider sectoral issues."