INTERVIEW - Don't jail illegal music sharers - UN agency

By Matthias Williams

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The heavy punishment of illegal file sharers on the web will be counter-productive in the global fight against Internet piracy and copyright infringement, the director-general of a United Nations agency said on Thursday.

Francis Gurry of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) said music copyright protection was "under the most severe stress" and the problem will likely spread to films as web connections speed up.

The music industry has been hit by rampant Internet piracy and has so far struggled to persuade consumers to pay for downloaded music.

Some 40 billion music files were illegally shared on the web in 2008, a piracy rate of 95 percent, WIPO cites industry estimates as showing.

"I don't believe we are going to win this, (to) find the solution by putting teenagers in jail," Gurry said in an interview on a visit to India. "I think that is not going to win public sympathy."

"Part of the battle here is to sensitise the public to the fact that there is a real issue involved. It is not simply a victimless crime," he added.

The rise in prosecutions of file sharers has seen some high profile cases carrying hefty fines.

Gurry cited the case of a student in the United States ordered to pay $675,000 for sharing 30 songs this year.