We are going to give you the important facts you need to know, before anything else. Did you know that there are almost thirteen million recreational numbered boats in the United States? Meanwhile, boating accident resulting to injuries number close to six thousand every year and cause over thirty nine million dollars in property damage. Last 2002, in a boating accident case, 750 people were killed. In almost 40% of these boating accidents case fatalities involve alcohol. Fatalities are most often the result of drowning.

Once accidents on a boat or any vessel at sea occur, authorities should be informed quickly about it. The case is required to be reported to the federal or state authorities especially when following circumstances happen: the accident causes the death or disappearance, indicating death or injury, of any individual; the boat accident caused injuries to the persons in it and requires medical care beyond first aid and/or if damages to the vessel or property exceeds five hundred dollars.

Boating accidents involving open motorboats, personal watercrafts (PWCs) or cabin motorboats are commonly reported cases. Accidents may happen due to collisions with fixed objects or moving vessels, capsizing or sinking, fire or explosion, falls or ejection overboard and other circumstances. Often, negligence resulting from operator inattention is the foremost contributing factor in a case of accidents on boats, according to the Boating Accident Report Database (BARD) system. Boat operator’s carelessness or recklessness and operator’s inexperience or excessive speed follows in frequency are also causes of these types of accidents.

Physical harm to a person caused by a boating accident case must be filed with the proper authorities within 48 hours that accident happened. On the other hand, if only vessel or property damage were caused by the boating accident case, case can be filed ten days from the occurrence.

If you or someone you know have been injured in a boating accident case and operator negligence is involved, you may be eligible to file a claim or a lawsuit to seek compensation for damages including injuries, medical costs, pain and suffering, lost wages, and property or vessel damages. This may compensate your could-have-been good day at sea, but again maybe any amount wouldn’t. Sad events, these types of accidents.

The Author is a 26 year-old Communication Arts graduate, with a major in Journalism. Right after graduating last 1999, she worked for one year as a clerk then became a Research, Publication and Documentation Program Director at a non-government organization, which focuses on the rights, interests and welfare of workers for about four years.

For additional legal information and inquiries about the article log on to http://www.attorneyservicesetc.com

• RTA - Road Traffic Accidents
• Accidents at Work
• Accidents in a Public Place
• Slips, Trips or Falls
• Product Liability - Faulty Goods
• General Accident

Road Traffic Accidents
…account for a large proportion of all accidents and personal injury compensation claims in the UK and drivers of vehicles are required to have some level of insurance cover. These being: Fully Comprehensive, Third Party Fire and Theft or Third Party only. These policies provide protection for anyone (including members of the same family) who may be involved in an accident, who suffer personal injury as a result of the driver’s negligence and may need to place a personal injury compensation claim whether or not the driver’s negligence has led to a police prosecution. If it is discovered that a negligent driver had inadequate or no insurance at the time of the accident, you may still be able to bring a personal injury compensation claim for through the MIB (Motor Insurers Bureau).

Road Traffic Accidents - DRIVER
A driver can make a personal injury compensation claims for loss and injuries if someone else was to blame for the accident. This is most often another driver although under some circumstances the accident may have been caused by the negligent actions of another party. For example if the roads were not gritted such that they remained icy and in a hazardous condition, a personal injury compensation claims may be filed against the party responsible for maintaining the roads. If the accident involved a pedestrian or cyclist who were later shown to be at fault, a personal injury compensation claim could still made even though the offending party may not posses adequate or any insurance cover. However, in these circumstances we may advise that it is not worth bringing such personal injury compensation claim.

Road Traffic Accidents - PASSENGER
A passenger involved in an accident in almost all circumstances can bring a successful personal injury compensation claims for damages where they have suffered injuries. Passengers are generally regarded as blameless casualties who have suffered as a result of someone else’s negligence. However, failure to comply with the law relating to the wearing of seat belts may affect the level of damages obtained in any award.

Road Traffic Accidents - CYCLIST
If a cyclist is involved in an accident where a third party is at fault, a personal injury compensation claims may be brought against the offending third party. In addition to obtaining compensation for your injuries, you may also be able to recover losses in respect of damage to your bicycle and clothing as well as loss of earnings by starting a personal injury compensation claim.

Road Traffic Accidents - PEDESTRIANS
A pedestrian may be able to recover compensation through a personal injury compensation claim for their injuries if they can show that their injuries were caused entirely or to some degree by a third party. If as a pedestrian involved in an accident you are held partly to blame, you may still be entitled so some level of compensation. The Claims Master Group will be happy to advise you on any personal injury compensation claim.

Road Traffic Accidents - INVOLVING ANIMALS
Regrettably, animals that stray onto the road can cause accidents. Owners of livestock such as cattle or horses are duty bound to the safety of road users by maintaining adequate levels of security in respect of their livestock. If it can be shown that the owner of an animal involved in an accident neglected their duty to maintain a safe environment for road users, a personal injury compensation claims for damages may be brought against them.

ACCIDENT IN THE WORKPLACE
If you are involved in an accident at work, it will be necessary for you to show that your injuries were caused by the negligence of your employer before pursuing a personal injury compensation claim. Your employer is also responsible for the actions of work colleagues who cause accidents involving injury. Please remember that you have an obligation to make your employer aware of any accidents, which occur whilst at work. This information should be properly recorded in the Accident Book. Please note, your employer cannot terminate your employment if you make a personal injury compensation claims. If you are in any doubt or concerned over this, we recommend that you consult us immediately.

DISEASES AT WORK
The working environment can affect people such that they suffer diseases as a result. Although these diseases may not be evident immediately symptoms may develop much later. Although in general terms a personal injury compensation claims has to be issued within three years from the date of the cause of injury or illness, this time limit may be lengthened if you were not aware of the cause of your symptoms until some time later.If you suspect that your symptoms are related to work place injury, please consult us as soon as possible.

MACHINERY AT WORK
There are many factors that contribute to accidents involving machinery in the work place which can lead to a legitimate personal injury compensation claim. For example poorly maintained equipment, or badly trained staff can. However your accident occurred, please consult us and will be happy to advise you.

LIFTING AT WORK
If you suffer any injury as a result of lifting whilst at work, it may be that this was caused by your employer’s failure to provide adequate training or proper manual handling equipment. Your employer has an obligation to ensure that the work place is safe and free from hazards. Unfortunately many times this is in dispute, however if you decide to file a personal injury compensation claim then you should seek expert advice.
SLIPS & FALLS AT WORK
If you were not responsible for injuries suffered as a result of a slip or fall at work, it may be that your accident was caused by your employer’s failure to comply with current safety standards in respect of hazards in the work place. If this is the case you can make a personal injury compensation claims Your employer has an obligation to ensure that the work place is safe and free from hazards.

PUBLIC PLACE
Land and / or property owners have an obligation to ensure the safety of all visitors. In most cases insurance cover will be in place to ensure that an injured party will be able to make a personal injury compensation claim in the event of injury occurring.

SLIPS, TRIPS & FALLS
If your accident was caused by a defect on a path or pavement, for example an obstacle or pothole you may be able to bring a personal injury compensation claim against those responsible for maintaining the path or pavement.
Although slips and falls can often be the cause of some of the most painful injuries, if you were to some degree responsible for causing your injuries, it is unlikely that you will be able to make a personal injury compensation claim.

SHOPS, STORES & RESTAURANTS
Store owners and managers have an obligation to ensure that their premises are free from slipping hazards. If a floor is wet whether from a recent spillage or cleaning routine, signs must be erected to alert customers and visitors to the hazard. If you have suffered an accident due in your local supermarket or shopping centre then you may be entitle to make a personal injury compensation claim

PRODUCT LIABILITY - FAULTY GOODS
These are cases arising out of a situation where products are defective and cause injury as a result of the defect. If you have been injured as a result of purchasing a standard consumer product which is defective, then you may be able to make a personal injury compensation claim from the manufacturer/supplier as well as individuals/companies through whom the goods may have passed.

OTHER ACCIDENTS
This category will include cases not listed above. For example sports injury cases, where an injury occurs ‘on the field of play’ due to the reckless actions of an opponent, or the failure of an official to apply the rules of the game in the way in which they should be applied. We will advise on any concerns or queries you have in regards to putting forward a personal injury compensation claim

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If you need advice or would just like to speak to someone, please don’t hesitate to give Claims Master Group a call on 08000 71 22 71.

The Personal Injury, Accident Claim, No Win No Fee, Road Traffic Accident specialists.

Julian Hall is the director of Claims Master Group

The Personal Injury, Accident Claim, No Win No Fee, Road Traffic Accidents specialists.

Legal Planning

As drab as it may seem, legal planning can help you avoid disasters in your life. With the turn of the calendar, now is the time to give your life and business some thought.

On the family front, you should be thinking about changes you experienced in 2005 and if any of them require you to take some steps. If you got married, you need to jump through a few loopholes related to changing names, addresses with relevant companies and so on. If you had a new family addition, have you give consideration to updating your will or family trust? On a less enjoyable subject, are there any steps you need to make with parents who are growing older. Elder abuse, particularly financially, can be a problem and you may want to provide assistance to elder parents so they aren’t taken advantage of.

On the business front, now is the time to take a step back and reflect upon how things are going. Did you meet your goals in 2005? If you didn’t, how do you plan to make 2006 a better year? In making this determination, you need to be honest with yourself and make sure you evaluate your week points. From a legal perspective, are all of your relevant business documents up to date? Have annual minutes been filed for your corporation or LLC?

A particular area where businesses fail to follow up are changes in contracts. When entering a contract, both parties tend to see great success in the future. Inevitably, they discover the agreement needs to be tweaked to allow for circumstances and so on. When this occurs, the parties will often reach an oral agreement or just shake hands on it. Such agreements are not binding on the parties. If a dispute occurs, the business relationship will be evaluated using the original agreement. That can lead to a nightmare of circumstances. If you’ve tweaked an agreement with another party, now is the time to get such an amendment in writing!

April 15th sounds a long way off, but it will come faster than you can imagine. Yep, I’m talking about taxes. Do you feel you pay too much in taxes? Of course you do. This is a god given right of every American. Well, now is the time to do something about it. You should contact your CPA and do some tax planning for 2006. Saving taxes often comes down to how you collect revenues and distribute them. Slight changes can save you tens of thousands of dollars, but you must implement them early in the calendar year.

As the calendar flipped to 2006, you undoubtedly made a resolution to do something. Getting your legal house in order probably wasn’t what you had in mind, but it is something you should do!

Richard A. Chapo is a San Diego business lawyer with www.sandiegobusinesslawfirm.com - a San Diego business law firm in San Diego, California providing business incorporation services.

Working girls in London are excellent and graceful and have a high education making them good companions as well as fantastic lovers. The working girls in London are ordinarily more expensive than anyplace else like Leeds, the reason for this is the escorts tend to be of a higher class.

Working girls have been made popular with the tv show Secret Diary with the beautiful Billie Piper. In the television show the escort is made out to be glamorous and rich and always looking pretty. Secret Diary is a top rated tv show in the UK and many men have seen it and have now booked a working girl. This has helped to fuel the increase in single guys feeling much happier and excited about the choice a single lad has in London. Make sure you try Lucy Bond for escorts www.lucybond.com.

Every year, the rates are increasing. More and more, people are getting injured, if not killed, from automobile accidents.

Unfortunately, most of us will experience this type of accident at some time. That’s why it is important for us to know certain things that will provide significant assistance when we are in a car accident.

Remain at the scene of the accident.
If you are in an auto accident involving injury, or substantial damage to property, stay at the scene of the accident until the police arrive and tell you that you can leave. There are laws requiring people involved to stay put and wait for the police to arrive and investigate. Leaving the scene of the accident can get your license revoked, or worse, your behavior can result to criminal charges.

Protect the injured.
If you are trained in providing first aid, administer if somebody is injured. However, it is important to remember never to move an injured person. Moving him/her may result to further damage. Ask for somebody to contact the police and report the incident. The person to contact the police should inform that people are injured, and if possible, the number of persons injured so that there will be enough emergency personnel to respond to the accident. If the accident occurred on the roadway, turn on your flashers, or use flares to warn approaching traffic of the accident.

Get information.
In any accident, it is important to get information that you will use later on, especially during your insurance claim. The following are the information you should know:

•The other driver’s name, address, driver’s license number, insurance information, and license plate number.
•If there are witnesses, get their names, addresses, and telephone numbers.
•Ask for a business card from the police officer who investigated the traffic scene. Also get the “incident number” so that you can obtain an accident report. Most officers will provide you with the information even if you don’t ask.
•Take note of the locationthe road conditions, speed limits, traffic control devices, the weather, and the lighting.
•Take note of how the accident occurredthe direction of travel of the vehicles involved, and what the cars are doing at the time of the accident. It is significant to note that you will be asked to share your notes with the person you are suing or the person who is suing you if the accident may result to litigation.

Never admit liability.
Even if you believe you are at fault, do not admit liability. There may be other factors which you don’t know that may turn the fault to the other driver. Do not make statements, on print or tape, to anybody at the accident scene, except for the police. Nevertheless, when speaking to the police, tell them only the facts of what happened. Let them make their own conclusion from the facts.

Seek medical care.
See a doctor. This is to eliminate the probability of the inability to obtain “no fault” benefits for your injuries. There are statutes in every state pertaining to what the insurance can cover. If you do not see a doctor, you might find later on that the insurance company or the other driver involved in the accident argue that your injuries were not related to the accident. In addition, the “adrenaline rush” from the accident can mask symptoms, which a physical examination can otherwise reveal.

Tell the doctor your symptoms— any loss of memory, headache, blood or fluid in the ear, dizziness, disorientation, ringing in the ears, nausea, confusion, or any other unusual physical or mental feeling.

It is best to be safe. Report your symptoms so that a medical expert can rule out the possibility of a much greater damage.

Dealing with automobile accidents can be overwhelming, especially of you are not aware of the ins and outs of the legalities regarding this problem. So if you or a family member is a victim or have suffered from an automobile accident, it is better to have a reliable and competent lawyer to assist you in your claims. The lawyer will provide you the opportunity for a fair outcome, as well as recover damages that you deserve.

About the Author

For additional information and comments about the article you may log on to http://www.personalinjurydefenders.com

Tractor-Trailer underride accidents occur when a passenger vehicle, usually the front of the passenger vehicle, enters below the base of the trailer of a large truck (e.g., 18-wheeler). This is particularly possible with small family passenger cars (as opposed to a mini-van or SUV). Unfortunately, the height of the front of the car is insufficient to contact the bed of the truck, often 10 to 20 inches below the bed of the truck. This puts the bed of the truck right at the head-chest level of the passengers within the car. Injuries in these accidents tend to be catastrophic, if not fatal.

Why doesn’t the driver just slow down to prevent an underride accident?

A tractor-trailer truck is pretty big… so why doesn’t the car driver see the tractor trailer in time to prevent a underride accident?

Unfortunately, perception and reality meet too late in these circumstances. Often the driver is fooled into thinking that the roadway is clear. Simply, the passenger car driver does not have adequate warning of the impending trailer underride danger.

What is being done to improve driver perception or trailer safety?

Since 1993, trucks must have a special type of reflective tape on the rear and sides of the trailer. Since 1996, trucks must also be equiped with a rear underride guard (strong metal structure) at a height of 22 inches above the ground, so that it will easily come in contact with the engine block of a small car, and thus prevent the car from underriding the bed of the tractor truck trailer. However, it is sad news that many trucks have not been retrofitted. Thus, many tractor trailer trucks manufactured before 1996 are on the road without these two critical safety features. In addition, even ones that have had these features installed may have insufficient protective qualities, such as an inadequate amount of reflective material or a rear underride guard that is too weak to prevent underride of the passenger vehicle.

What are other factors that play into a rear underride accident

Weather. Especially fog, snow, or rain that reduces the distance of visibility. Fog and snow are a huge problem, since they often mask the grey or white color of many trucks.

Driver carelessness. If the driver is momentarily inattentive, they may not see a trailer that has been inadequately pulled to the side of the road, or a trailer that is across the highway as the result of a u-turn or a wide turn in the case of a truck entering a roadway.

The positioning of the truck may cause a trailer underride accident.

Road conditions. Slick road conditions increase the stopping time for a car approaching a tractor trailer underride situation.

Surrounding (ambient) lighting which can reflect off of the truck and cause the truck to blend in with its surrounding, forming a sort of accidental camaflouge, especially on a silver truck. In fact often the reflective red/oraqnge colors match the neon lights from surrounding businesses.

Road lighting. A lack of road lighting can make it very difficult to see the outline of the tractor truck’s trailer. Especially a dark colored trruck trailer such as a dark blue, brown or black trailer. This makes it nearly impossible for the driver of the passenger car to see the truck in time to stop and prevent a trailer underride.

Dirty tractor trailers case accidents. When dirt collects on the reflective tape, it becomes inefficeint at reflecting light and loses its protective warning qualities. Frequent washing of the truck is a must to give the passenger car driver a chance to prevent a side underride accident with the tractor trailer!

What is the most common danger that creates a Tractor Trailer Underride Accident?

Truck driver making a u-turn or a wide-turn. This is not a sudden u-turn. Rather, this is a situation where often the truck has made it already half way around. In fact, the cab of the truck is often facing the oncoming traffic. That fact makes it even more deceiving to the oncoming traffic, since they belive that the truck is already facing them, with the trailer straight behind it, rather than reality - with the tractor truck’s trailer stretched across the oncoming car’s path of transit.

About the Author

by: Michael Monheit, Esquire of Monheit Law, P.C. Toll Free: 866-761-1385
Truck Accident Lawyer

The Name of the Game in court is: DON’T PISS OFF THE JUDGE!

The hard truth of the matter is that attorneys have to work with the judges and with the other attorneys every day. A client is just a client, and when the case is over, it’s over and they need to get on with the next one. It’s really all about careers and about relationships, and the attorneys’ daily business relationships are with other attorneys. These are the people they have to work with, and they have ethical guidelines that compel them to all get along even if they really don’t like each other. But when it comes to the judges, it’s not a matter of like or dislike. The judges are little gods, and the reality is that they have huge case loads that just get larger no matter what they do, and the attorneys understand that the way to help the judges is to move the cases through court as quicky as possible. Help a judge do that, and you’re on their good side. Take too long with one particular client, and you’re not. DON’T PISS OFF THE JUDGE, or the judge will definitely find a way to take it out on you. You will not like it when that happens. I know one particular judge who said to me, “I don’t get angry, I get even”. So for the attorneys, their careers may be at stake if they alienate their peers. The vast majority of attorneys will not put their careers at risk and jeopardize their professional relationships for any one particular client.

So does anybody really need an attorney? The law actually implies that we don’t because we are given the right to represent ourselves in court if we choose to. Does anybody really want you to know this? Definitely not, because if everybody represented themselves, how would all the law school graduates make a living? But here’s the big problem. When you think you need an attorney, it’s almost always because you’ve gotten into some kind of serious trouble and you think that the stakes are too high if you lose. It’s kind of like needing a new roof. Nobody even thinks about their roof until it’s too late and the thing is leaking uncontrollably. And it’s only then that they find out how incredibly expensive a new roof is, and how impossible it is to educate yourself properly on the subject in order to know how to spend all that money and not get ripped off. Similarly, until you’re in serious trouble, you probably don’t even think about having to choose an attorney. And now the stakes are much higher than when you need a new roof because with the roof, the great danger is spending a lot of money and not getting what you paid for. With your legal difficulty, it could be about having to go to JAIL, not to mention spending a lot of money on an attorney and then having to go to jail. So when you’re in that situation, the conventional wisdom is unanimous - get the best attorney you can afford.

So you bust your budget and make your selection. You sit there in court and watch the attorney do his/her job. How are you supposed to be able to know whether the best possible job is being done for you? There’s no way to know because you don’t understand the game that’s being played out. In the end, the judge calls both attorneys into chambers and the goal of the meeting is to find a compromise solution that will move the case out of court. The attorneys do their thing and then they come back into court and tell you, “This is the best possible deal you’re going to get. Trust me on this one. If you don’t take this deal, you’re going to make the judge angry and you will never get this deal again.” What can you do? Nothing. You just lost.

But if you ever make the decision to represent yourself in court, you’d better understand how to behave properly or you will really piss off the judge. Here are the basics of good courtroom behavior:

1. Don’t digress. Make your points quickly, logically, and in logical order.
2. Always look the judge directly in the eyes when talking.
3. Forget your ego and just grovel. Say “Your Honor”, “with all due respect”, “forgive my
ignorance” and things like that.
4. Dress well. Notice that the attorneys all wear suits. Now why do you think they do that?
Because they all own stock in Brooks Brothers?
5. When you do get your chance to go back into chambers, follow rules 1 through 4 again.

If you can master these basics, you will find that an amazing thing happens. The judge will be entertained by you simply because what you’re doing is very rare and it’s not what they have to sit through every day. If you’re good and stick to the basics, the judge will bend over backwards to assist you. Of course, there is the matter of knowing the law and proper court procedure. It’s possible to lose a case just by missing a trick and being beat to the punch by your opposing attorney on a simple point of order. So . . . Do you need an attorney? Probably you do, but maybe you don’t. I didn’t.

As Sally Struthers said in All in The Family: “Case Closed !”

About the Author

Peter Cross is a singer/songwriter/producer who was among the first to put music on the internet in downloadable format in 1996, and he has represented himself in court as Attorney In Pro Per many times. To this day, he is one of the only musicians who has created and designed his own music web site in html, and at 104 pages filled with entertaining content, it’s one of the largest. Check it out at: http://www.starcrost.com

Medicare is the federal government’s hospital and medical insurance program especially designed for people age sixty-five and above. The Medicare benefits is not dependent on the social security that is why you may be able to get hold of your Medicare benefits even without your social security. Medicare also provides limited insurance benefits and therefore may no cover all medical expenses however, having a Medicare supplement is much better than not having it at all since it can provide extra medical protection for medical expenses that may not be covered. Medicare benefit is consists of a Part A and a Part B. The Part A is actually consists of basic hospital insurance plan and covers much of the cost of hospitalization including skilled nursing facilities and some other care in the hospital. On the other hand, the Part B of the Medicare benefits provides supplementary medical insurance that covers a part of the doctor’s fee and other medical expenses. People who are enrolled in Part B are obliged to pay a monthly premium. Moreover, Medicare is available at the beginning of the month in which a person reaches the age of sixty-five. People who have received social security disability benefits for two years are also eligible for Medicare.

In addition, Medicare also covers prescription drugs, wheelchairs as well as the cost of some certain medical supplies. An example of which is the partial coverage for glucose monitors and diabetic shoes for Medicare members who are suffering from diabetes. Aside from that, the Medicare Part A also covers a portion of the confined patient hospitalization for up to ninety days. Moreover, Medicare members may visit the Medicare web site for more information on the benefits provided by Medicare. The Medicare web site offers a convenient means of filing for claims as well as making follow-ups for claims less taxing.

About the Author

For additional information and comments about the article you may log on to http://www.socialsecuritylawattorney.com

A total of 247 alleged illegal file-sharers face legal action in a move that steps up the industry’s international campaign against online copyright theft. Further waves of lawsuits against major offenders will be launched in different countries in the coming months.

The legal actions, following similar successful actions in United States, charge the individuals with illegally making available hundreds of music tracks for copying, transmission and distribution via file-sharing services.

IFPI, representing the recording industry worldwide, made it clear that the legal actions come only after a sustained educational effort by the music industry and as record companies are making available the bulk of their music for downloading legally.

A recent independent five-country survey commissioned by IFPI shows more than 65% of people know that file-sharing copyrighted music is illegal.

More than 600,000 consumers in Europe alone are now accessing a large catalogue of 300,000 tracks that are available from 50 legal online sites.

Jay Berman, Chairman and CEO of IFPI. said: “Today’s announcement should come as no surprise. Over the past year the record industry has been extremely active internationally and locally, educating the public about the huge damage being done by illegal file-sharing, explaining the laws and promoting all the sites where large catalogues of copyrighted music are available for consumers to access legitimately. ”

“We have made it clear that file-sharing without the permission of the copyright holder is illegal, that it amounts to “file-stealing”, and that it affect jobs and livelihoods across the whole industry. Ultimately, though, we have learned that education alone is not sufficient, and that some people persist because, like shop-lifters, they think they can ‘get away with it’. So we have decided that only the prospect of legal action is going to make those people rethink what they are doing.”

“Today we are making it clear that we are totally prepared to enforce the law, and we will start actions against those people who are breaking it by uploading hundreds of music files on to the internet. We will not stand by while thousands of people involved in the creation of music see their careers and livelihoods destroyed. The message is that people are at a real risk of being sued or prosecuted if they continue to rip off those who make music. ”

Illegal file-sharing has been a major cause of the decline in global music sales in the last five years. This in turn has caused widespread cuts and job losses across the industry, affecting retailers, record companies and their artist rosters, recording studios, song writers, management companies, publishers and many others sectors, all of them economically dependent on copyrighted music.

Global sales of recorded music fell 7% in value in 2002. IFPI’s global figures for 2003 have not yet been released, but it estimated that sales for the year will have been down by over 7%. A number of third party surveys in major music markets have confirmed that illegal file-sharing directly depresses music purchases by consumers.

Other countries have stepped up their ‘warning’ campaigns to put illegal file-sharers of music on notice that if they continue with their activities they risk court action. Sweden is announcing today the launch of their instant messaging campaign to users of peer-to-peer networks, following a similar announcement by the UK on 25 March.

About the author:

Press Release