Companies Team Up to Stop Piracy

Internet service providers are joining with entertainment companies to curb online piracy, in a controversial move to wage war on illegal file-sharing.

ISPs today agreed to implement Hollywood's recommended six-shot warning program for those suspected of downloading copyrighted music and movies from sites like BitTorrent. Media companies involved in the agreement include the Recording Industry and Motion Picture Associations of America, along with various independent record companies and filmmakers. The ISPs at the table include AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Verizon and Time Warner Cable.

Under the Copyright Alert System, contractors for the entertainment industry will monitor users of illegal file-sharing services. If they discover someone passing along a copyrighted file, they will send the user's ISP a notice so the company can take punitive action.

The ISP will then issue up to six warnings, increasingly stronger in tone, before reducing Internet speed or even suspending service until the piracy ceases. The last step, however, is rarely used since many service providers aren't keen on terminating service for their own customers.

Comcast said it does not plan to cut service, while others have yet to respond on the topic.

The alliance between entertainment groups and ISPs comes as digital content increases in important to carriers and wireless service providers, who hope to become more than just "dumb pipes" for data, as consumers increasingly access media on phones, tablets and computers.

ISPs and entertainment groups have not always been allies. The RIAA sued Verizon eight years ago when the wireless provider refused to identify a customer accused of sharing music online.

But times have changed, and this year Comcast merged with NBC to become both an ISP and a content provider.

"The ISP's want to cooperate with Hollywood because the carriers recognize that their own growth depends in part on bundled content strategies," said Eric Garland of BigChampagne, a firm that tracks online media traffic. "They don't want to be just utilities providing Internet access, but premium content distributors as well."

Of course, the Copyright Alert program is unlikely to deter serious offenders, who will find creative ways to skirt around it not matter what. It's also making civil liberties groups nervous, as they fear companies could use these guidelines to punish subscribers without due process.

"It appears this would put the onus on the accused, which is not how things are supposed to work in our system," said Jay Stanley, an analyst with the American Civil Liberties Union.

Other corporations are starting to recognize the benefits of waging war on piracy as well. Google recently blocked common piracy terms from its Auto-Complete service. MediaFire, RapidShare and BitTorrent are no longer visible in Google's search bar, a move only fellow search industry firm Bing has made as well.

Piracy is becoming more difficult for the average person because of corporations' decisions to move against it. And it may be especially unsavory if ISPs start cutting Internet connections for those who dare to illegally download music and film files.

Companies Team Up to Stop Piracy originally appeared at Mobiledia on Fri Jul 08, 2011 2:55 pm.

Source: http://www.mobiledia.com/news/97375.html

android phone comparison android phone g1 android phone games android phone google android phone htc android phone htc hero