The BPI has announced a new angle in its fight against illegal file sharing - trying to persuade (or force) internet service providers to turn off the net connection of suspected sharers. The trade association yesterday confirmed that it has written to Tiscali and Cable & Wireless, requesting that they suspend the accounts of 59 individuals who they suspect of being guilty of large amounts of illegal filesharing.
The move is certainly a bid to test the internet service providers who, some in the record industry reckon, have been too keen to turn a blind eye to the illegal sharing of copyright music online. If the ISPs could be persuaded to take a more proactive role in stopping illegal file sharing, then the record labels would be able to tackle larger numbers of file sharers quicker. Whether they will succeed in persuading the ISPs to take on such a role through polite letters alone remains to be seen (Tiscali are still rather pissed off at the major record companies, don't forget, for being forced to drop their online jukebox service), but I'm sure the BPI want us to infer that if the ISPs don't act in a voluntary capacity, then they will try to force the role on them through the courts.
Announcing the new move yesterday, BPI Chairman Peter Jamieson told CMU: "We have demonstrated in the courts that unauthorised filesharing is against the law. We have said for months that it is unacceptable for ISPs to turn a blind eye to industrial-scale copyright infringement. We are providing Tiscali and Cable & Wireless with unequivocal evidence of copyright infringement via their services. It is now up to them to put their house in order and pull the plug on these people."
The BPI wants the ISPs to withdraw internet services from the 59 suspected file sharers, 17 Tiscali customers, 42 Cable & Wireless, until those individuals sign an undertaking to stop unauthorised file sharing. BPI General Counsel Roz Groome says that the ISPs are in the right to make such demands from their customers, so they should be able to act quickly on the BPI's request. She told reporters: "Both Tiscali and Cable & Wireless state in their terms of use for subscribers that internet accounts should not be used for copyright infringement. We now invite them to enforce their own terms of use."
Of course those people sharing music online probably deserve to have their internet connections withdrawn - for being so behind the times. Every one knows the cool kids are using untraceable mobile based 'blue-tooth sharing' to acquire music illegally these days.