Pirates Will Get a Warning, But ISPs Won’t Kick ‘Em Out
Copyright infringement on the Internet has been an ongoing problem, and Internet service providers have had to police such content to comply with infringement laws while also keeping customers happy.
Reports that ISPs, specifically AT&T, Cox Communications, and Comcast, are working with the Recording Industry Association of America to send out warnings, then threatening to close subscriber accounts have surfaced — and some ISPs say they aren’t accurate.
Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, every ISP is required to send out notifications to customers when there is a question of copyright infringement. But last year the RIAA began a more proactive approach by flagging ISPs whenever there is a question of infringement. RIAA sends a letter to ISPs when an incident is discovered.
No ‘Three Strikes’ Policy
Comcast said it’s not working hand-in-hand with the RIAA and it’s not threatening customers who may be unintentionally or intentionally committing copyright infringement.
“Comcast, like other major ISPs, forwards notices of alleged infringement that we receive from music, movie, video-game and other content owners to our customers,” said Charlie Douglas, a Comcast spokesperson. “This is the same process we’ve had in place for years — nothing has changed.”
Douglas said the company follows the law by sending out messages to customers through an automated process, but doesn’t threaten its customers.
“We receive the request to notify an alleged infringement from the copyright holder,” Douglas said. “We then pass it along to our customer either in an e-mail or letter.”
“While we have always supported copyright holders in their efforts to reduce piracy under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and continue to do so, we have no plans to test a so-called ‘three strikes and you’re out’ policy,” he added.
Liz Kennedy, a spokesperson for RIAA, declined to comment.
Process Is Unchanged
Cox also said nothing has…
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