Artists oppose Mandelson piracy plans

Three music organisations have joined forces to oppose government plans to disconnect illegal filesharers.

The Featured Artists Coalition, the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and the Music Producers Guild have published a joint statement attacking the "extraordinarily negative" proposals suggested by first secretary of state Peter Mandelson.

It read: "We vehemently oppose the proposals being made and suggest that the stick is now in danger of being way out of proportion to the carrot.

"The failure of 30,000 US lawsuits against consumers and the cessation of the pursuit of that policy should be demonstration enough that this is not a policy that any future-minded UK government should pursue."

The three bodies represent a number of top music stars, including Damon Albarn, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Radiohead and Robbie Williams.

Mandelson recently rejected suggestions that the government's new stance on piracy was improperly influenced by his holiday meeting with record executive David Geffen in Corfu.