Fry open about illegal downloads
Acclaimed British comedian
Stephen Fry has defended users who download copyrighted material illegally from the internet.
Speaking at the Apple iTunes festival about the future of internet content, Fry said it was unfortunate the music industry felt it necessary to prosecute illegal downloaders.
?Making an example of ordinary people is the stupidest thing the record industry can do? he commented.
Fry, the recent host of BBC 2 quiz show Qi, is recognised as one of the first celebrities to immerse themselves in social media; his Twitter account has over 650,000 followers.
Fry speaks out
During his speech at the iTunes Festival in London, Fry admitted he had occasionally downloaded material illegally. He said he had watched episodes of the American medical drama
House -which stars his long-time collaborator Hugh Laurie - as well as action series 24, although he also paid to downloaded each series at a later date.
Fry later commented that he disapproved of users who downloaded files on an?industrial scal?. When asked how he felt about his own material being pirated, he responded:
?I'm against cynical bootlegging but I work in a very molly coddled, overpaid business?
The comedian went on to state that he believed most users would eventually accept paying for downloadable material.?Most people feel guilty about taking things without paying? he said.
?Hope I'm not misunderstood. Such a pity if I get misrepresented as a "help yourself and be a pirate" advocate? Fry later posted on his Twitter account.
