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Wednesday, January 27, 1999 Published at 16:01 GMT


Talking Point


Is the Internet bad for European culture?

Talking Point joins with BBC World Service Radio's Europewide this week to discuss whether the Internet has an adverse affect on European culture.

To listen to both sides of the debate click here

There are worries that the lack of regulation on the World Wide Web is threatening European culture.

Europe provides a disproportionately large amount of the world's music, so negotiations are in progress between the European Union and Europe's music industry on copyright on the Internet.

The European Commission proposes measures to stop pirates making illegal copies of music from the Net. Music piracy is estimated to cost the industry more than £3m a year worldwide.

Do you think it is wrong to download music from the Internet?

About 400 leading music acts from around Europe have given their support to a campaign led by Jean-Michel Jarre which aims to improve copyright protection.

The Director General of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, Nic Garnett, said: "Jean-Michel Jarre really wants to see the ground rules set down for copyright on the Internet."

Brit nominee Robbie Williams, Denmark's Aqua, Sweden's Roxette and Italian star Eros Ramazzotti are among the stars supporting the campaign. The artists want to be able to send music on the Internet with adequate protection.

But others say that the Internet is a forum for creativity exactly because it is free-form.

What do you think?

Is the Internet bad for European culture?


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