Italy’s piracy problem appears to have reached new depths with the news that the Guardia Di Finanza (Fiscal Police) have uncovered a P2P group that was illegally uploading the charity single “Domani 21/04/09.”
The track was recorded by 50 leading artists, including Andrea Bocelli and Laura Pausini, to raise funds for victims of the recent earthquake in Abruzzo on April 6, in which 308 people lost their lives.
The Fiscal Police have identified three people in Milan and Rome who made the track available for free through DirectConnect and RapidShare, at the same time that the song became available though legal download stores. If found guilty, the three uploaders could theoretically face sentences of up to four years.
Raids were conducted in Milan and Rome in an operation that was code-named “Jackal.” Hard disks containing more than 1,300 gigabytes of music files were seized.
Italy’s anti-piracy organization FPM reckons that the illegal upload could have cost the earthquake charity up to €1 million ($1.4 million) in lost revenue.
“This was an important action by the Fiscal Police,” said FPM’s secretary-general Luca Vespignani in a statement. “‘Domani 21/04/09’ was released to raise funds for people who have gone through the shock of losing their homes and loved ones. We hope that fans who like the song will buy it through legitimate channels and help raise money for this worthwhile cause.”
“Domani 21/04/09,” released on the Sugar label, is still top of the country’s legal singles download chart.
FPM estimate that P2P file-sharing in Italy costs the music industry in the region of €300 million ($422 million) annually.
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