HOLIDAY MAKERS TO VISIT GREEK JAILS?

The BBC reports that the IFPI is warning holiday makers that they could be jailed for purchasing pirated CDs in Greece, ahead of the Olympic Games in August. The group has announced its intention to target individual buyers and says it has the support of the Greek authorities. In fact, a buyer was sentenced last week to three months imprisonment after he was found buying 2 illegal CDs. This was the first time an individual buyer had been jailed in Greece. The IFPI has explained that its previous policy was to go after vendors. However, after finding that the Greek authorities were only handing them suspended sentences, it decided to pursue individual purchasers instead.

While the IPKat realises that buyers should know better than to buy copyright-infringing CDs, he thinks imprisonment for private purchases is rather harsh. He’s also disturbed by the inequality of vendors getting suspended sentences while private purchasers are targeted for jail sentences.

The IPKat’s thoughts on the matter here