Credit to http://resnet.ucsc.edu/besmart/filesharing/
As has been rumoured for a number of weeks in online and print media a group of the biggest Internet service providers (ISPs) in the UK have signed up to a ’Memorandum of Understanding’ drawn up by the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR). This treaty of sorts between ISPs, the Government and the British Phonographic Industry (which acts to serve the interests of the ‘big 4′ music labels in Britain) comes after Virgin Media admitted that it had sent several hundred ‘warning letters’ to customers whom, it had been deemed, had obtained songs illegally on their internet connection.
Unsurprisingly many customers who had received these letters from Virgin, such as this man, began claiming that they hadn’t illegally downloaded the songs Virgin Media said they had and furthermore that they were extremely taken aback by being accused of such an infringement of copyright.
This first attempt at a ‘warning letter’ scheme clearly shows the faults the system would have on a wide scale. Sending a letter of this nature to customers will obviously cause them considerable discontent with the ISP, whether they did perpetrate the crime and are annoyed that their ISP has effectively been ’snooping’ upon their internet usage or whether they didn’t download the songs in the first place, ultimately this looks set to contribute to the ISP losing subscribers (this being the main reason most ISPs have been reluctant to join such a scheme). Another incredibly obvious yet key problem is that in the age of WiFi networks and Foneros it is always a possibility that someone is piggybacking on an unwitting customers network and maintaining illegal activities without their knowledge.
This week, despite numerous causes for concern from all sides, the ‘understanding’ which certifies that ISPs will not only commit to a “significant reduction” in music file-sharing in the UK but also help develop legal music services was signed by BT, TalkTalk, BSkyB, Orange, Tiscali and Virgin Media.It has also been announced that regulation and future amendments to the ‘memorandum’ will be overseen by Ofcom.
To me, the idea of British internet providers attempting their own content delivery services on a large scale when giants like Universal have failed to make a significant mark upon iTunes gargantuan market share seems preposterous, it also veers on being monopolistic. However, there are intriguing whispers of a different method of collecting royalties from users who download music illegally. The Times reports that Ofcom may introduce an annual download tax, similar to TV licensing. This move however would beg the questions: ‘what do those of us who buy content perfectly legally online do?’ and ‘how would this system be policed?’.
Thankfully, there is one glimmer of hope coming from this ongoing crusade against internet users. Several ISPs have made it clear that there was “absolutely no possibility” of them disconnecting alleged pirates from the Internet.
You may ask why I think this a good thing and from it you may assume that I ‘obtain’ my music, but as something of a very small-time artist myself I appreciate the value of music and do pay for all I download. Having said this I wouldn’t be too surprised if I ended up getting my very own warning letter from my ISP, despite zealous protection of my network, and I, like everyone else, wouldn’t want to be disconnected and blacklisted for something I simply didn’t do (or indeed because the ISP or the BPI made a mistake).
We have created a poll on the right in the sidebar too see how many people fileshare and how many steer clear. Take your vote now or leave a comment.
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