Sky calls for cooperation between ISPs to beat piracy

Piracy has always been an issue, ever since the rise in popularity of file-sharing sites and programs. It’s a shame that a lot of users feel that it’s okay to download certain media, just because it has been available on the web. For example, there are many movie streaming services that allow subscribers to view movies for a monthly or annual fee. Instead, others bypass having to subscribe and pay for such services, instead choosing to download movie files illegally.

And the illegal downloads aren’t just with such files. Many users are also turning to such illegal file-sharing sites and applications to download music files as well. Illegal music downloads were reported to be on the rise since a year ago. Geoff Taylor of the British Recorded Music Industry, described illegal downloading as a “parasite,” stating: “It is a parasite that threatens to deprive a generation of talented young people of their chance to make a career in music, and is holding back investment in the burgeoning digital entertainment sector.”

In efforts to crack down on piracy, Sky has called for Internet service providers (ISPs) to come together in order to come up with a plan to do tackle the issue. Sky has appealed to the government to call on broadband firms to work together to tackle online piracy.

The broadcaster talked about the impact of illegal file-sharing activities and explained that it posed as one of the more significant threats to the audiovisual industry. Sky also warned that piracy might become more prevalent with the increase in broadband speeds and penetration.

Sky also urged the Conservative-led coalition to boost collaboration between service providers and rights owners to “underline the business models” of these websites. Sky said: “The UK government must also take a robust approach to copyright enforcement in the relevant international institutions, including the EU and the World Intellectual Property Organisation.”

Sky also expressed that they were disappointed with the delay in implementing the Digital Economy Act (DEA), which the firm stressed was important to improve the current practises in place today.