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IPs Will Warn You before Downloading Pirated Content

IPs Will Warn You before Downloading Pirated Content


On October 18, 2012, the Center for Copyright Information (CCI) announced that internet providers will start warning customers over the next two months if they are about to download pirated content.  The messages will repeatedly warn internet users in an attempt to stop the large amount of illegal downloads on the internet despite heavy recent sentences for some defendants.  


AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, Cablevision, and Time Warner will start sending these messages in the next two months.  


If you try to download illegal content, the first alerts will appear educational.  The internet user will then have to notify their internet provider that they received the messages.  If the internet user still attempts to download copyrighted material, a warning containing “mitigation measures” will come next.  Each internet provider has their own mitigation measures, but some of the common measures include a review of the educational notices and even a slowed internet access speed.  


Although numerous reports stated a “six strikes and you’re out” policy, the termination policy is not part any internet provider’s Copyright Alert System.  Litigation may ensue though.  


The Copyright Alert Systems want to teach internet users how to access copyrighted content legally instead of punishing users who accidentally download pirated content.  The CCI admits the line between legal and illegal content is sometimes vague, so they’ve announced that a new CCI website will soon launch to help internet users learn about legal and illegal content on the web.  


CCI expects some errors during the first stages of the new Copyright Alert System, but they have a process that can easily detect and correct errors.  CCI is using a review program under the American Arbitration Association (AAA) to find and correct errors, and CCI stresses the fact that all information about internet users is kept confidential.  


Source: Center for Copyright Information