Threat letters against piracy to be sent out to 15 000 internet users in the UK

Threat letters that relate to evidence of the use of broadband connections for the illegal sharing of files will soon be sent out to around 15 000 broadband users throughout the UK.

The approval to request the personal details of some 30 000 broadband users that were considered to have downloaded Hollywood movie titles, of which most were BT broadband customers, was given recently to the law firm ACS Law by the Court of London. It was later discovered that a large portion of these customers were the same person and this led to the number dropping drastically.

The use of an IP address, which is a unique identifier that can be used to identify individual user’s has discovered this activity, although the difficulty of using an IP address in a court case is one of the biggest issues. The main problems is that an IP address doesn’t prove that a user committed the piracy offence it simply shows that their connection was using to download a particular files. Many internet connections can and are being hijacked every day and are then used by somebody else to download the illegal files.

Unlike many other forms of evidence like DNA and video footage the use of IP addresses is seen by courts as being foolproof as the are a number of different methods of either redirecting of faking these addresses.

Very few people have actually been taken to court on a charge of illegal downloading but there are a number of sites that have now been set up to provide help and advice for users that have been accused of piracy and copyright fraud unrightfully.

Charges ranging from £300 to £500 have been described in these new settlement letters and users are being advised to refuse payment of these settlements as it is seen as an admission of guilt and will not stop users being targeted in the future by these companies according to many of the consumer groups out there.

Source – UK Cheap Broadband