Switzerland put on US "watchlist" for not discouraging unauthorized file-sharing...

Last December, we wrote about a report put out by the Swiss executive branch noting that, based on their research, it appeared that unauthorized file sharing was not a big deal, showing that consumers were still spending just as much on entertainment, and that much of it was going directly to artists, rather than to middlemen. In other words, it was a market shift, not a big law enforcement problem. At the time, we wondered if Switzerland had just bought itself a place on the USTR's "Special 301 list" that the administration uses each year to shame countries that Hollywood doesn't like.

 That list doesn't come out for a bit, but there's another, similar list, put out by the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus (yeah) that has added Switzerland to its "bad countries" list along with China, Russia and Ukraine. Italy also joined Switzerland as a "first-timer" on the list -- despite rulings that required ISPs to block access to various file sharing sites. The issue in Italy? I'd guess that a story we had earlier this year has something to do with it. After some political fighting, the government there basically decided to just stop regulating copyright issues online. There's also an upcoming fight about new copyright proposals coming in Italy, and this seems like a preemptive strike for some of Hollywood's favorite Congressional Reps and Senators to pressure Italy into approving bad laws that Hollywood likes. Full story...

Related posts:

1. Privacy triumphs in internet piracy test case in Switzerland...
2. Swiss govt declares downloading for personal use legal...
3. US government finally admits most piracy statistics are bullshit...
4. How the music industry screws up young artists...
5. The music industry abuses us and we're to blame...
6. Music piracy: RIAA screws the artists...
7. Three strikes anti-piracy budget "too expensive to justify," says French minister...