Internet users who share music and other content illegally online in the United States are to be targeted in the roll-out of a new anti-piracy and copyright infringement program. Customers with internet providers AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner and Verizon will get a series of reminders if the new Copyright Alert System catches them in the act sharing copyrighted material though peer-to-peer file sharing systems and their service speed shaped (throttled to a slower speed) after five or six notifications.
The system was designed by the Center For Copyright Information – who explained the system via a blog post on their website:
“Practically speaking, this means our content partners will begin sending notices of alleged P2P copyright infringement to ISPs, and the ISPs will begin forwarding those notices in the form of Copyright Alerts to consumers. Most consumers will never receive Alerts under the program. Consumers whose accounts have been used to share copyrighted content over P2P networks illegally (or without authority) will receive Alerts that are meant to educate rather than punish, and direct them to legal alternatives. And for those consumers who believe they received Alerts in error, an easy to use process will be in place for them to seek independent review of the Alerts they received.”
If the message doesn’t get through to the offenders via the series of alerts, the severity of the penalties will increase with each allegation of piracy. Customers could have their internet speeds halted entirely, or they could be “redirected to a landing page for a set period of time” until they “contact the ISP or complete an online copyright education program”.
An information video on the new program can be viewed below.
Watch: The Copyright Alert System
