According to Digital Music News, a Virgin Media exec recently discussed the practicalities of internet service providers cutting off individuals who the record companies believe are illegally uploading or downloading music via their net connections.
As much previously reported, while a number of UK-based ISPs have signed up to a scheme where they send warning letters from the record companies to people who its believed illegally access and share unlicensed music, they have all resisted calls from some in the record industry to actually cut off file sharers should they continue to infringe copyrights after two warnings.
Some in the record industry reckon cutting infringers off is the only way to actually have a real impact on illegal file sharers, who may otherwise see the warning letters as a badge of honour. But the ISPs are not keen - partly because of the PR challenge of cutting off paid up customers, partly because of the potential loss of business given how widespread file sharing can be, and partly because without some industry-wide monitoring scheme, the whole thing would be ineffective because cut-off net users would just sign up to a rival ISP.
Speaking at the EconMusic Conference in London this week, the unnamed Virgin Media exec reportedly said his company would not be willing to go the disconnection route, and also asked whether, if forced to do so, ISPs would be compensated for lost customers. BPI boss Geoff Taylor - who was also at the conference - was reportedly conciliatory though, saying the record label trade body wasn't pushing for the disconnection policy and that they were looking into other ways to follow and beef up the warning letter programme.