British ISPs to warn illegal downloaders

A number of major British internet providers will start sending emails and letters to customers who download illegally from next year. However, the tone of the warnings will be considerably less firm than what the collecting societies wanted.

The BBC reports that from 2015 BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media will warn their customers if illegal content has been downloaded from their IP address. The ‘alerts’ should be educational in tone and should point customers to legal alternatives. Under agreements with the British music and film industry, a customer will be able to receive up to four warnings, which will be of an increasingly ‘compelling’ tone. However, there should be no threat of possible legal action.

The IP addresses of potentially illegal downloaders must be handed over to the ISPs by the collecting societies, after which they give the customer a warning by e-mail or in writing. Customers will not be personally addressed in the letters; after all, different people can use an internet connection.

Sending warnings to downloading Brits is part of the Voluntary Copyright Alert Programme, a project in which the ISPs collaborate with copyright organisations. The latter organizations will largely pay for the program and it has been agreed that the four major providers may send a maximum of 2.5 million warnings per year. After three years, the system must be evaluated, with a focus on effectiveness.

The proposed system goes considerably less far than what the collecting societies have lobbied for. They wanted those who have been warned repeatedly to be made aware of possible legal consequences. The parties also wanted a database of offenders. The collecting societies will receive a monthly overview from the providers with the number of warnings sent, but they will not have direct access to the customer data.