Connection restrictions for illegal file sharers backed by musicians

It has been reported that a number of musicians are now backing plans for illegal file sharers to have their internet connections restricted if they are found to be persistently illegally downloading.

Over recent weeks there has been much debate held over the actions that should be taken by Internet Service Providers against broadband users that are found to be illegally file sharing on a persistent basis. Some suggested that they should be disconnected and hit with hefty fines, but this caused a lot of controversy. The government, officials from the entertainment industry, and a range of other groups and officials have all become involved in the row over illegal file sharing.

However, earlier this week a meeting lasting for several hours was held in London to determine what should be done to tackle illegal file sharing, and a number of musicians from a breakaway lobby group, the Featured Artists Coalition, said that they would support a proposed measure of restricting the internet access of illegal fie sharers that were found to be consistently offending.

Amongst the musicians that are supporting the move are Lilly Allen, Sandy Shaw, and George Michael. They agreed to back a measure that would see illegal file sharers being contacted in writing about their activities, and in a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ basis, if they ignored the initial letters and continued to illegally download they would then have their internet access restricted to a point where they could get online and send or access emails but would not have the capacity to share media files.

A letter sent to Lord Mandelson by lobby groups representing the music industry stated: “We agree that a clear distinction should be made between how technical measures are applied to the casual infringer, compared to how they are applied to the persistent infringer, with temporary suspension of broadband accounts being applicable only as a last resort.”

Source – Guardian