Bigger fines for careless bloggers?

If you're a big criminal copyright type of person then you run the risk of equally big criminal proceedings against you and all your ill-gotten gains being taken away by Proceeds of Crime provisions in the English legal system. You could get sued too.

What if you're a careless blogger who just happened to cite rather more text than you should have? Right now the chances are, if you're unlucky and someone picks a fight with you, that you'll end up in a Magistrates' Court. The maximum fine you'll wind up paying is £5,000.

The UK's Intellectual Property Office is thinking of changing this fine from £5,000 to £50,000.

What do you think? Good idea or bad idea? As it happens you can nip over to the UK IPO and let them know what you think. You've only got until the 31st to do so, though.

P.S. This is an English legal thing, Scotland doesn't bother with Magistrate Courts.

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