Music industry condemns mailout threat to “filesharers”
The British Phonographic Institute, the U.K. equivalent to the RIAA, has attacked a law firm’s decision to send a mailshot to hundreds of suspected filesharers threatening legal action unless they pay a settlement. It follows claims that more than 150 people have received the letters despite having committed no offense.
The BPI comments come in response to an ongoing campaign by the Consumers Association magazine Which? Computing. It says legal firm ACS:Law continues to send out thousands of letters accusing people of illegally sharing content — including pornographic movies — and demanding £500 (US$800) to avoid prosecution.
The magazine says its been contacted by more than 150 consumers claiming to have been wrongly accused. It believes this is often down to the law firm making mistakes when converting an IP address to an individual, or to users having their wireless connection used without their knowledge.
The BPI says it does not agree with the threatening letter approach and would not adopt it: “Our view is that legal action is best reserved for the most persistent or serious offenders – rather than widely used as a first response.”
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