According to WSJ.com, Internet users who share pirated movies and music may soon be getting a warning from their ISP that detail alleged copyright infringement and threaten to slow their Web connections if they don’t stop.
This program already has a name:
The Copyright Alert System
(The Copyright Alert System is a 36 page memorandum which you can download here)
Among the ISPs that have pledged to implement the new policy are Comcast Corp., AT&T Inc., Time Warner Cable Inc., Cablevision Systems Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc.
Under the program the ISP will send violators a series of notices to subscribers if media companies suspect copyright infringement.
Each time a user is caught offering copyrighted material, that user will get an increasingly strident warning from his ISP.
After several such written warnings, the user’s Internet connection might be slowed by the ISP to basically make downloading of such material impracticable.
TechDirt.com has called this the 5 strikes and your out plan
Suspected repeat offenders might also be redirected to an educational webpage about copyrights.
Under the guidelines ISPs wouldn’t pass along the user’s identity to the entertainment industry and Users would also have the ability to appeal but according to TechDirt.com it will cost a user $35 to appeal.
The guidelines say that ISPs aren’t required to limit a subscriber’s access to email or phone service.
Personally I’m not sure any of this is going to make a meaningful impact on the downloading or distributing of copyrighted material.
For one it doesn’t seem that there is any sharing of information between ISP provided for in the plan, meaning a file sharer which had its Internet connection slowed to a crawl, could switch to a new ISP and start all over.
Moreover the problem isn’t just inside the US, not by a long shot.
Traveling in Asia and chatting with a lot of locals, during ICANN and after, it is EXTREMELY common for people to download and watch newly released movies on the Internet.
Its considered a normal part of life here, and not one person I spoke to even had a second thought that it was somehow illegal or wrong to do watch a movie on the Internet for free.
In the US there have been enough lawsuits against users that most understand the risks of engaging in such behavior but overseas it seems most people see nothing wrong with downloading such material.
How important is the non-US market for movies and music?
Consider that the record setting performance of Transformers 3 gross more outside the US than in the US in the opening week.
Maybe they should register CopyrightAlertSystem.com since its free…
I agree with Bfitz, maybe they should register CopyrightAlertSystem.com since its free…
They’re using file sharing as excuse to milk out more money from customers. This was the main reason they brought the monthly download cap.
Welcome to the 51stState 😉
Too late now…i got it!
How much do you think CopyrightAlertSystem.com is worth?
A UDPR.
If it’s the government, it’s the big, bad government. If it’s the private sector, it’s the naughty private sector!
Anyone who enforces honest business ethics is an enemy, according to the comments.
@Louise
I am fine with this since I have never pirated anything. I did not mean for Jared to register that domain, which I believe was foolish. My point is one would think they would have put up a website on the program so the could control the message a bit.
It was rude of me: I’m sorry. It’s no reflection on anyone here. I see it all backwards to most people who blog and comment here – ICANN and Verisign are angling to increase dot com prices and every time Strickling says, “no,” they’ll figure out another way – the bad people are winning!
Hi,
Yea.. this should be a good idea.
The “MPAA & RIAA” have the current gov administration in its back pocket…this in the end is all about votes. Payback for votes in 2008 & to secure the same support for 2012.
Its only the start of more government control of the Internet itself, next will be the “Protect IP Act”…and then, Internet taxes on almost everything you can think of etc…
Do you really think that this is ALL about: illegal download of movies & music?
I thinks NOT. 😉
What are the ISP’s going to be happy to do for them next?
Because, its not going to stop with just this…that I can promise you.
___
This is just another offshoot of the domain seizures program by HLS & ICE.
Like I said before, how could ‘HLS’ & ‘ICE’s Priorities be so out of whack?
Don’t we have boarders to protect and terrorist threats to be stopped?
I do not see them ‘bragging’ about taking down, Islamic Jihad websites that encourage or promote violence or terrorism towards the USA or other countries…being targeted by HLS & ICE.
This “IP Czar” is running the show… I sure feel confident that this, ‘is all for our own good’ and its not politically motivated at all…and it does not have a hidden agenda.
U.S. IP Czar Says Ex-Parte Domain Name Seizures Follow “Due Process”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXK8hZYcc0Q&feature=player_embedded
BTW: I am ALL against the illegal download of movies & music etc…which I have personally have not done. But the point is…there is a much bigger picture in play, under the surface of this story.
___
Peace!
‘D’
Some ARS Technica comments are:
This actually sounds surprisingly reasonable and really is the way copyright enforcement should be done.
I want to be angry at this but after reading it, I’m having a hard time finding fault with this.
ISP’s will not be monitoring, and it is up to copyright holders to detect and send notification to an ISP.
Sounds reasonable and as it stands today it is
– http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/07/major-isps-agree-to-six-strikes-copyright-enforcement-plan.ars?comments=1#comments-bar
I don’t get, why people are paranoid about this “six strike” enforcement plan. If you have a better solution, say it. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
if my isp arbitrarily decides what i can download, i’ll switch isps. it’s that simple.