Pirates beware

The communications minister Lord Carter in his report on Digital Britain has threatened to introduce legislation to force internet service providers to crackdown on internet pirates. In the meantime the government will launch a consultation and consider forcing ISPs to notify illegal downloaders that they are breaking the law. The government aims to cut filesharing by some 80% by 2011. In addition the government also intends to explore the potential for a rights agency to exploit the material. This will be funded through contributions from distributors and rights holders a levy so to speak. The report said “It may be that such an independent, objective body may be better able to surmount the mutual tension between rights-holders, publishers, search engines and other content aggregators, the ISPs and the underlying communications network operators and instead broker technical solutions that can command widespread adoption and support” and that by “Working together on enforcement and education mean there needs to be clear advantages to all sides – a win win win for rights holders, intermediaries and consumers.”