FYI: The largest group of downloaders I know are avid consumers of paid-for DVDs, who are getting hold of TV programs that have not yet been made commercially available – and will often later be broadcast on channels that are either free-to-air or flat-rate, so all that has been lost is a fast-forward through the ads. If the program is any good, then they will probably get the DVDs anyway later. NOTHING HAS BEEN LOST, and the offence has been encouraged by the business model of “split releases”.

He said parents and “bedsit bloggers” would be among those who would fall foul of any crackdown. Challenged by the revolutionary distribution mechanism that is the internet, big publishers are seeing their power and profits diminish,” he said.

“Faced with the choice of accepting this and innovating or, King Canute-style, staying the tide of change, they’re choosing the latter option and looking to Parliament for help with some sandbags.

“Not only do the sanctions ultimately risk criminalising a large proportion of UK citizens, but they also attach an unbearable burden on an emerging technology that has the power to transform society, with no guarantees at the end that our artists and our culture will get any richer.”