U.K. Cracking Down on Net Piracy

The British government is planning to “significantly reduce” the country’s online file-sharing of copyrighted content, by at least 50 percent, in the next three years through a sequence of warning letters, Internet account suspensions and ultimate expulsion from Internet access.

The approach, which is considerably less harsh than the old U.K. and current U.S. litigation strategies, is a result of a partnership among government officials, Internet service providers and industry folk. No users were involved in the creation of the plan.

The Guardian:

The government has set a secret target to reduce illegal filesharing of music and films by up to 80% over the next three years, MediaGuardian.co.uk can reveal.

The goal was outlined in a letter by Baroness Vadera, the business minister, relating to the agreement the government struck with internet service providers and the film and music industries to curb illegal filesharing.

The leaked letter, dated July 22, was sent to all the proposed signatories of the memorandum of understanding which proposes to “significantly reduce” illegal filesharing in the next two to three years.

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news.bbc.co.uk

Web “piracy” is an increasingly troublesome subject for copyright owners and governments as Internet use and speed of access continue to rise.