HDTV/3D TV News
An internet service provider sending out a letter to a customer who has been found to have illegally downloaded or shared copyrighted content over the internet, may not be effective in persuading them to stop, as a letter only shows the customer that the ISP knows what they are up to.
A recent study by PaidContent:UK for the Digital Entertainment Survey, found that only a third of broadband users would take notice of a letter sent to them by their ISP, which goes to show that there is a need for something else to be done.
The same study found that eighty per cent of broadband users said that they would stop downloading illegal content if the letter held some sort of threat, such as the potential disconnection of their broadband service.
A month ago, the French Parliament passed the HADOPI legislation that introduced draconian measures to combat music piracy, including a ‘three strikes’ regime for persistent copyright infringers that would eventually result in the perpetrator losing their internet connection. The new law would also make it possible to block sites such as The Pirate Bay.
Yesterday, the French Constitutional Court deemed the HADOPI legislation unconstitutional.
The HADOPI legislation, it ruled, goes directly against a decision in the European Parliament – Amendment 138 – whereby disconnecting alleged copyright infringers would violate the fundamental rights and freedoms of internet users.
Instead, the entertainment industry is only allowed to send copyright infringement warnings, and people can only lose their internet connections if a court rules that illegal file sharing actually took place.