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Net providers begin warning of illegal downloads

http://www.myfoxny.com/story/21347184/net-providers-begin-warning-of-illegal-downloads

Posted: Feb 25, 2013 7:10 PM EST Updated: Feb 25, 2013 7:12 PM EST

Some Guy, SomeGuy Press 

WASHINGTON (AP) � Internet users who illegally share music, movies or
television shows online could soon receive warning notices from the
nation's five major Internet service providers.

The Copyright Alert System, organized by the recording and film
industry, is being activated this week to target consumers using
peer-to-peer software.

Under the new system, complaints will prompt an Internet service
provider � such as Verizon or AT&T � to notify a customer whose Internet
address has been detected sharing files illegally. A person will be
given up to six opportunities to stop before the Internet provider will
take more drastic steps, such as temporarily slowing their connection,
or redirecting Internet traffic until they acknowledge they received a
notice or review educational materials about copyright law.

Consumers who maintain they have been wrongly accused would be forced to
pay $35 to appeal the decision. The fee would be reimbursed if they
prevail.

Proponents say the focus is on deterring the average consumer rather
than chronic violators. The director of the organization behind the
system, Jill Lesser of the Center for Copyright Infringement, said in a
blog post Monday that the program is "meant to educate rather than
punish, and direct (users) to legal alternatives."

Each Internet provider is expected to implement their own system. The
program gives each customer five or six "strikes" after a music or film
company has detected illegal file-sharing and lodged a complaint. The
first alerts are expected to be educational, while the third and fourth
would require the customer to acknowledge that they have received the
warnings and understand their behavior is illegal. The final warnings
are expected to lead to "mitigation measures," such as slowing a
person's Internet connection speeds.

Officials involved in the effort acknowledge it's unlikely to stop the
biggest violators. There are ways to disguise an IP address or use a
neighbor's connection that is unlocked. Public wireless connections,
such as those offered at coffee shops, also won't be monitored.

Copyright 2013 SomeGuy Press