Interest

Ofcom Drafts U.K. Rules Against Net Piracy for 2014

The U.K. media regulator Ofcom has drafted an anti-internet piracy code, under which illegal downloaders would recieve three warning letters before possible legal action. The proposed regime would begin on March 14, 2014.

According to a report in the Guardian newspaper:

Under the draft code, the UK's biggest ISPs – BT, Everything Everywhere, O2, Sky, TalkTalk Group and Virgin Media – will be required to send letters to customers warning them when there is an allegation from a film, TV or music company that there has been illegal downloading from their computer. Web users who get three warning letters in a year will face having anonymous information of their downloading and filesharing history provided to copyright owners, which could then be used to gain a court order to reveal the customer's identity and take legal action against piracy.

Internet users will be able to appeal against a report on their alleged infringement, at a cost of £20, which will be refunded if they are successful.

The consultation period for the code ends on July 25. The Guardian claims that the code "is expected to pass through Parliament at the end of the year." It also notes that, "While copyright owners can already seek court orders against digital pirates, the new code is designed to enable them to take legal action against the most persistent alleged infringers."

The Hollywood Reporter points out that the code is similar to France's anti-piracy rules. In the U.S., the SOPA/PIPA copyright bills were put on hold in January 2012.

Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the heads-up.