Ofcom to develop appeals process for those accused of file sharing

The UK’s communications regulator Ofcom has said it is developing an appeals process for those that are accused of illegal file sharing under the newly passed Digital Economy Bill.

In the run up to the general election the Labour party has managed to get the controversial Digital Economy Bill passed into law, and this means that those accused of illegal file sharing could face having their broadband service disconnected. The Bill has faced a lot of opposition from the likes of Internet Service Providers and consumer rights groups, as there is concern that some people may be disconnected after being falsely accused of this practice.

The UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, has now stated that it is set to develop an appeals process that can be accessed by those that find themselves being accused of illegal file sharing. Ofcom has stated that in order to get information from Internet Service Providers about suspected illegal file sharers copyright holders will have to obtain a court order, and in the event that a user is accused they will need to have access to an appeals process.

Ofcom stated: “Qualifying ISPs will be required to notify subscribers of allegations made by copyright owners that their account has been used for unlawful file-sharing and to maintain a list of the subscribers who receive multiple unchallenged notifications. Subscribers must be provided with sufficient information in any notification such that they can challenge the basis under which the notification has been sent. They must also have access to a robust and effective appeals mechanism.”

The regulator added: “Subscribers on those lists may have their details passed to relevant copyright owners who may pursue legal action, though any such transfer of personal information will require a court order. Any processing of subscriber data must be in compliance with the relevant data protection laws.”

Source – Digital Spy.co.uk