Online rights debate: A laughing matter?

As Julian Huppert MP made the closing remarks at the Westminster eForum seminar on implementing the Digital Economy Act, he commented that the interested parties had not quite reached a consensus on the issue. It seemed an indicator of the state of the debate that his wry understatement was quickly greeted by a roomful of laughter. In the context of the implementation of the DEA, discussions on how to handle rights and piracy online still reflect severely diverging views, and some proposals are being laughed off as unclear and or unworkable.