Film industry wants internet providers to control piracy
The film and television industries in the UK are calling on the government to take a stand against online piracy, which has become an issue of great concern in recent times.
Their suggestion is to introduce online versions of “speed humps”, which would restrict or throttle the broadband connections of users who share copyrighted material illegally. According to industry experts, speed humps, along with labels and pop-up warnings on sites should help to bring down the rate of online piracy.
As part of the Digital-Britain report, the government has pledged to protect the interest of the creative industries. However, with over five million people sharing files illegally in the UK, the TV and film industry holds that pursuing online piracy through the courts would not be a practical solution.
As an alternative, they propose that internet service providers should undertake technical measures to control internet piracy. One such suggestion is that people who persistently share files illegally should be warned about the legal implications of their actions and that the sites frequented by such users should be closed down.
Although the ISP’s currently send letters of warning to people who are found to be illegal file-sharers, industry experts maintain that piracy can not be controlled without government intervention. Advocates of such a policy envisage a series of technical and legal measures acting as road humps to slow down illegal file-sharers and eventually eliminate internet piracy.
The precise nature of such “speed humps” would be determined by the industry and the internet service providers through an agency which was proposed in a report by Lord Carter, the communications minister. The software industry which has also expressed concern over the rising tide of piracy would be a part of the agency.
