Intellectual Property Law

ISP Agrees to Ban Copyright Scofflaws

By Ryan Singel, Kevin Poulsen, Sarah Lai Stirland, Kim Zetter, and David Kravets

The music industry's move to ban from the internet alleged copyright scofflaws inched forward when an Irish internet service provider agreed to a so-called "three-strikes" policy to discontinue service for repeat copyright offenders.

The move by Eircom Group, the largest telecom in Ireland, comes a month after American record labels announced they would work with U.S-based internet service providers to adopt the same program, a plan called "graduated response." In June, the French cabinet approved legislation mandating a similar program where third-time offenders lose service for at least a year, a plan of which Italy is also considering.

None of the major ISPs in the United States, however, has signed on yet. Verizon told us weeks ago it would not participate under the Recording Industry Association of America's proposal. The always clued-in Greg Sandoval at CNET, citing unnamed sources, wrote that Comcast and AT&T were close to coming on board. The RIAA's private detectives perform the surveillance on file sharing networks.

In the United States alone, the RIAA has sued more than 30,000 individuals on allegations of copyright infringement for sharing music on peer-to-peer networks such as Limewire and Kazaa. Most of the cases have settled out of court for a few thousand dollars.

The RIAA, now pushing the American ISPs for the three-strikes rule, says it is discontinuing the 5-year-old litigation campaign. It is litigating cases that have already been filed. In five years, only one case has gone to trial, which resulted in a mistrial.

See Also:

• RIAA Qualifies Statement on No New Copyright Lawsuits
• RIAA Thomas Appeal Denied; Retrial Likely to Set New Copyright ...
• Top Internet Providers Cool to RIAA 3-Strikes Plan
• In Internet First, RIAA File Sharing Hearing to Be Webcast ...
• Former Teen Cheerleader Defies RIAA Over $7400 File Sharing Tab ...
• RIAA Fears 'Manipulation' of Courtroom Web Broadcast
• Analysis: RIAA Strategy Shift Mired in Murky Legal Waters
• RIAA Decries Attorney-Blogger as 'Vexatious' Litigator
• Despite RIAA Loss, File Sharers Face Hefty Fines
• No ISP Filtering Under New RIAA Copyright Strategy
• Judge Declares Mistrial in RIAA-Jammie Thomas Trial
• Judge Orders Legal Fees in RIAA v Andersen
• Imagine RIAA, MPAA in Control of Handbag Industry

Full post as published by Threat Level on January 29, 2009 (boomark / email).