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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

My Lords, I did not expect the amendment to appeal to the Front Benches. The noble Lord has misinterpreted what I am after. I was not suggesting that the amendment is a permission to continue downloading any more than limiting someone’s internet access is a permission to continue downloading. It is, as it were, a compensation for past sins, which you can pay for either by not being able to access the internet properly or by making a contribution. I suspect that I have concluded that the right way for copyright to move on the internet is towards the pattern used for sheet music—a matter not of control but of payment. This is reflected in what the Government propose in Clause 42, where they are clearly anticipating that kind of move to the point where the important thing is that the copyright holder gets paid, not that the copyright holder absolutely controls the timing and means by which the copyright material is acquired. We will have many opportunities to discuss Clause 42. For now I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 154 withdrawn. Amendment 155 not moved. Amendment 155A Moved by