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Anger at UK file-sharing policy

Internet service providers (ISPs) have reacted with anger to new proposals on how
to tackle internet piracy.

The government is proposing a tougher stance which would include cutting off repeat
offenders from the net.

UK ISP Talk Talk said the recommendations were likely to "breach fundamental rights" and
would not work.

Virgin said that "persuasion not coercion" was key in the fight to crack down on the
estimated six million file-sharers in the UK.

TalkTalk's director of regulation Andrew Heaney told the BBC News the ISP was as keen as
anyone to clamp down on illegal file-sharers.

"This is best done by making sure there are legal alternatives and educating people, writing
letters to alleged file-sharers and, if necessary, taking them to court."

“ If Lord Mandelson really 'doesn't get the internet', you can be

sure that there will be plenty of people now offering to educate
him ”

But introducing measures to simply cut people off will not work, he said.

"Disconnecting alleged offenders will be futile given that it is relatively easy for determined
file-sharers to mask their identity or their activity to avoid detection," he added.

There are also concerns that the method of identifying offenders using the IP address of a
specific machine may punish those who share a web connection.

A spokeswoman for Virgin Media was concerned that a "heavy-handed, punitive regime will
simply alienate consumers".

'Bizarre'

Politicians on all sides have been split by the proposal.

Speaking on Radio 4's PM programme, the former Cabinet Secretary, Tom Watson MP, said
that Lord Mandelson had reached "the wrong conclusion".

ILLEGAL FILE-SHARING

File-sharing is not illegal. It only becomes illegal when users are
sharing content, such as music, that is protected by copyrights

The crackdown will be aimed at people who regularly use technologies,
such as BitTorrent, and websites, such as The Pirate Bay, to find and
download files

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There are plenty of legitimate services which use file-sharing

technology such as some on-demand TV services

Don Foster MP, the Liberal Democrat's culture and media spokesman, told BBC News that
Lord Mandelson's move was "reckless and dangerous".

"There are many families whose children, unbeknown to them, might be illegally downloading
but now their own access could be put in jeopardy by Lord Mandelson's proposals."

Mr Foster acknowledged that online piracy was "a major problem in the UK" but said
overriding the opinions of Lord Carter and two secretaries of state was "bizarre".

The Conservative MP John Whittingdale, who is also chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport
Select Committee, said he was broadly supportive of Lord Mandelson's proposals, but said
that he may have inadvertently "killed his own bill".

"Personally I am on his [Lord Mandelson's] side; peer-to-peer sharing is the greatest threat
to our creative industries," he said.

"I don't think people should have their broadband cut off, but there are measures to restrict
speed which is better than prosecuting people so they get a criminal record.

"That said, I have severe doubts that the government can get this bill through in the time
available as if there is any opposition to it - and there will be now - there will be a general
election before it goes through."

Listening carefully

Originally the Digital Britain report, published in June, gave Ofcom until 2012 to consider
whether technical measures to catch pirates were necessary.

However, according to a statement from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
(BIS) released on Tuesday, that timeframe is now considered "too long to wait".

Stephen Timms, minister for Digital Britain, said: "We've been listening carefully to responses
to the consultation this far, and it's become clear there are widespread concerns that the
plans as they stand could delay action, impacting unfairly upon rights holders."

It proposes that internet service providers (ISPs) are obliged to take action against repeat
infringers and suggests that the cost of tracking down persistent pirates be shared 50:50
between ISPs and rights holders.

HAVE YOUR SAY By all means fine those who download illegally, but to cut them off from the
internet would be taking away the right to free speech and communication Janet Shaw,
Romford, UK

The proposal has been welcomed by the BPI, which represents the recorded music industry in
Britain.

"'Digital piracy is a serious problem and a real threat to the UK's creative industries," it said
in a statement.

"Today is a step forward that should help the legal digital market to grow for consumers."

BIS denied that it had changed its position since the publication of Digital Britain and said
that the recommendations were open to consultation.

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"We are simply adding new ideas to the table that could potentially make the whole system
more flexible and provide a quicker way to bring in technical measures," it said in a
statement.

It is estimated that half of all the traffic on the net in the UK is content that is shared
illegally.

The UK government has set a target of reducing the problem by at least 70%.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/8219652.stm

Published: 2009/08/25 18:04:36 GMT

© BBC MMX

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