The government and the internet industry have been urged
to address online piracy and make buying goods on the web easier
for consumers.
The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) said the lack of digital
rights management (DRM), which prevents content being replicated
for free, and micropayment services, which allow consumers to buy
goods online quickly and easily, is stifling broadband
adoption.
"DRM and micropayments are becoming 'make or
break' issues for the whole of the broadband value chain," said
Antony Walker, chief executive of the BSG, a government advisory
body.
"They are the missing links that are
preventing broadband from delivering its real potential for
consumers and businesses alike."
"If we don't look at these issues now, we
could see broadband take-up start to flatten off because the value
proposition fails to evolve, or the further erosion of 'value' in
the content sector, due to illicit file sharing,” Walker added.
“Neither of these scenarios is acceptable.
Now's the time for the government and industry to show leadership
and start to resolve these issues once and for all."
In a report released on Thursday (24 July),
the BSG identified 11 key recommendations which, it said, must be
addressed for the UK to become a leader of globally accepted DRM
and micropayment platforms.
These include the government formulating
“effective measures for enforcing intellectual property rights” and
the UK content industries establishing codes of practice to boost
consumer confidence.