Music piracy is a huge part of the Internet and, whether you think it’s a major problem as the record labels would have us believe or not, most countries are looking to crack down on it. A new survey suggests that Spotify reduces people’s reliance on illegal downloading of music. So, is streaming the future? Not only for music but for other forms of entertainment as well?

Two of the founders of the Pirate Bay filesharing site have been ordered by a Swedish court to stop operating the site. But the men say it’s no longer anything to do with them and question whether the threat can be enforced.

Music piracy is evil and those who illegally download and share music with each other are the devil’s spawn. Right? Wrong. In fact, a new survey shows that those who partake of a little filesharing every now and then actually spend more on music than anyone else. So rather than chasing them down with what sometimes borders on a vengeful vendetta, the music industry should perhaps be nurturing these people and appreciating them as music lovers.

Britain’s government has confirmed it is to bring on a “three strikes and you’re off” policy for illegal filesharing. But one ISP has already threatened to launch a legal action against the rules.

If you live in the European Union and you like to share pirated files, you may want to start thinking about just how much your access to the Internet really means to you.

You can find almost anything on the Internet if you look long and hard enough. And pirated versions of copyrighted files are there for those who want them. While music and movies are the main media illegally shared on the Web, software, TV shows, apps, and books are also available. And that last category, books, may be about to send eBook readers and hardware mainstream.

The crew behind the Pirate Bay filesharing site have so far defied a barrage of lawsuits and court orders aimed at taking them offline. But they were no match for a group of Big Butt Latin Maids.

Lily Allen is a British singer, songwriter, and musician who is famous for using MySpace and the Web to build a following upon which she could launch a career. A career that, to this point, has been quite successful. However, the last week has seen her take a stand against illegal filesharing, have her position compromised by tales of her own copyright infringement, and then shut down her blog and claim her career is over.

The company planning to buy the torrent site The Pirate Bay has been delisted by the Swedish stock exchange. Officials said the firm had lied to stockholders about having the financial ability to go through with the deal.

Four major Hollywood studios have signed on with Film Fresh to distribute films in the DivX format, freeing them to be played on many more devices.

The British government says it wants the power to force regulators to cut off Internet connections to repeated copyright offenders. It’s a change of heart from just two months ago when officials suggested slowing down access would suffice.

The man who failed in his bid to effectively have all filesharing declared legal has been fined $675,000 for copyright infringement. But there are legal and financial factors which make it unlikely Joel Tenenbaum with ever hand over the full amount.

The man who’d hoped to rewrite the rulebook on filesharing is now certain to be convicted. Joel Tenenbaum’s hopes now lie with a sympathetic jury awarding minimal damages.

Following criminal convictions for its founders, the Pirate Bay site is now facing civil action to curb its activities. This comes as a key figure in the firm planning to take over the site quit, claiming the numbers don’t add up.

A man accused of illegal filesharing who argued his behavior was covered by fair use provisions has had his main defense thrown out. It’s a major blow to those campaigning against the record industry.

Internet users in one British city are facing instant disconnection if suspected of sharing copyrighted files. It’s a particularly serious punishment as, thanks to a quirk of British telecommunications, only one ISP serves the area.

A new report shows that access to free streaming music in the past few years has dramatically curbed illegal file sharing. Is it time for the ad supported model to save the music industry?