British Internet firms refuse to ban illegal filesharers
By John Lister
A coalition of music, film and media groups is calling for British Internet firms to be forced to disconnect customers who repeatedly download or share copyrighted material without permission. But the ISP trade association says doing so would be a disproportionate and legally questionable response.
A total of 14 organizations are understood to be releasing a joint statement later today urging the government to make disconnection of copyright offenders a mandatory requirement for Internet service providers. The group includes the British Phonographic Institute, the UK Film Council and the National Union of Journalists.
The BBC reports that the group has already claimed 50 percent of British Internet traffic involves content which breaches copyright laws. The Film Council’s head John Woodward says illegal filesharing threatens to costs jobs in the creative industries because piracy harms sales so much it makes potential projects financially unviable. He noted that the existing policy, where ISPs send out warning letters, does not work without action to back up the threats.
The Internet Service Providers Association, which represents British Internet firms, says a disconnection policy would only be credible if content producers did a better job of making movies and music available for legal downloading.
The ISPA also argues that current technology means it’s difficult to prove beyond doubt that a particular user has breached copyright laws. It believes its unreasonable to expect an ISP to disconnect a customer without evidence which would be admissible in a court case.
The British government has reiterated its policy of favoring warning letters with a threat of legal action, with one minister noting officials were a “little nervous” about the disconnection policy.
The debate comes just days after the European Parliament passed rules which mean member states can’t pass laws calling for mandatory disconnections unless the system is subject to a full legal process. That would likely mean that ISPs could not be forced to disconnect a user without a court order.
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May 12th, 2009
What a load of crap.
It is not the ISPs job to police the net.
I would simply get a new ISP if they did that to me.
There are many ISPs to choose from. If all else fails there are plenty of wireless access around my place.
May 14th, 2009
That the trade group still has “Phonographic” in their name tells you how outdated they are when it comes to tech. And I think it’s funny that they want ISPs to cut their own revenue stream (and essentially give said revenue to their competitors) because they think, but cannot necessarily prove an infraction.
Adapt or die. And they aren’t adapting.