A new agreement between ISPs and the entertainment industry looks kindly on customers
While illegal downloading may be on the decline, copyright infringement is still a thorn in the side the entertainment industry — and for anyone who's been in its crosshairs. Many major U.S. internet service providers (ISPs) just signed onto a voluntary agreement that outlines the terms of cooperation when it comes to cracking down on their own customers, and it sounds a bit like the customer is always right — at least for the first 6 wrongs.
Under the new deal — which AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Cablevision, and Time Warner Cable have signed onto — internet providers will issue "copyright alerts" to their subscribers. For example, if a company like Warner Bros. sniffed out an illegal download of the next Harry Potter flick, it's common practice to alert the offender's internet provider. Under the new agreement, ISPs will issue up to 6 warnings to customers caught downloading or streaming copyrighted material, outlining a much clearer procedure for what happens next.
As the copyright infringement warnings pile up, an internet provider may begin to throttle online speeds or employ other "mitigation" tactics to get the alleged offender's attention, like rerouting their web browser to make sure they've received the slap on the wrist. Importantly, the internet providers involved in the agreement won't hand over any identifying information about their own subscribers — even if the music and movie industry giants bring the heat.
While an ISP can still cut off internet service at will (and it's legal to do so), the new copyright enforcement framework has a decided focus on "education," allowing account holders who exhibit suspicious web activity (downloading or streaming copyrighted material) explicit opportunities to stop the suspected illegal activity, rather than handing over their info and watching their own subscription base drop off or get slammed with egregiously large fines from angry media conglomerates.
This interval of warnings could prove crucial for customers, particularly the unsuspecting ones. Parents who don't realize their child's hard drive is stuffed to the gills with illegally harvested movies, shows, and songs will be able to get their web-savvy kids to knock it off before the entertainment industry does.
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