Stelios protests at threat of music biz CD burning gag


EasyInternetCafe - the high street Internet café chain - is to protest outside the High Court in London tomorrow against the threat of a gagging order from the music industry.

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is to apply for an injunction against both easyInternetCafe and the easyGroup from publicly discussing the ongoing battle between the two parties.

The row centres on a demand from the music industry for £100,000 in lost revenues after it claimed easyInternetCafe allowed people to burn music onto CDs.

When the BPI first launched its complaint it had demanded an eye-watering £1m.

Originally the BPI warned easyInternetCafe that it would get "bad PR" (shurely 'far more customers?' - Ed) if it became public knowledge that easyInternetCafe customers had been downloading music files protected by copyright onto CDs in its stores.

But easyInternetCafe claims it's got nothing to hide, and even opened its doors for the BPI to check its computer records. It also maintains it stopped allowing people to burn CDs a year ago.

Said the company in a statement: "Now the BPI have done an about-turn and are attempting to gag easyInternetCafe from discussing anything further, presumably because they are embarrassed that it has become public knowledge they have tried to extort as much as £1 million from easyInternetCafe"

So, tomorrow easyGroup boss, Stelios, and a bunch of loyal workers will dress up in orange boiler suits and take part in a public protest outside the High Court.

They will carry banners that will defend their right to free speech by declaring: "We will not be gagged".

They will also run with placards calling for the "music industry cartel" to stop "milking the consumer with their over-priced products". Oh, and they'll also call for the legalisation of music downloads.

Sounds like it could be a real hoot. ®

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