The Government is consulting on plans to increase the maximum custodial sentence for copyright infringement carried out online from two years to 10 years. This would bring the penalty in line with the 10 year sentence that can be handed out for criminal copyright infringement in respect of physical goods. First recommended by the Gowers Review on intellectual property in 2006, the Government sees no reason for the distinction between online and offline infringement, particularly as online infringement has become more significant.
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