Interesting viewpoint – I never thought about the possibility of innocent people having their connections terminated by mistake.

Megs last blog post..Checking Out At The Library

I agree that the practice is wrong and that there should be consequences for those who download pirated material on a repetitive basis.

The French proposal seems more than fair to me, and assuming that it can be implemented in an effective manner without placing an excessive burden on ISPs then I hope that it passes through the legislature in Paris and becomes law.

Andrews last blog post..Should copyright infringers be disconnected?

i think the french proposal would work well. i do believe in giving everyone a warning, so you’ll get 1 warning to stop. next time you get picked up.

I can see your point. Anytime an ISP cuts off a subscriber, they forfeit the revenue associated with the subscriber concerned.

Even more painful for ISPs, I would have thought, would be the costs associated with enforcement of the plan, especially any labor costs required in the process of monitoring and follow up of users who download unathorized material.

With regard to your second point, I would have thought that you needed an ISP to gain access to the internet. Is this not correct? Are there ways to gain access to the net without an ISP?

Andrews last blog post..Should copyright infringers be disconnected?

And you can’t teach people a lesson that way either because either they will find another way to get internet access again, and there are plenty of ways.

toms last blog post..Bad Advice: Let’s go shopping for useless crap!

You are exactly right, the objective of the proposed new law is not to deny people the right of internet access, but instead to teach them to use the internet in an ethical and responsible fashion, not for the downloading of illegal copies of pirated material.

You are certainly right in saying that there is no shortage of legal services out there, and I do not think it is too much to ask to expect consumers to invest the small amount of money required to make legal online purchases of books, music and videos.

Mark,

I guess that’s the main concern with this new law, and one does wonder whether any benefits gained in terms of reductions in piracy would outweigh the no doubt significant level of cost involved in terms of enforcement of the new law.

Fred,

Ha ha! Good pick up! I suppose it is somewhat ironic (although completely accidental) that the last two discussions have focused around ‘pirates’ in different senses of the word.

Piracy, as you say, represents not only an increased cost to consumers, but also a threat to the viability of some of our favorite films and shows. This is particularly the case for films or programs which cost a large amount of money to produce (often, but not always, the best quality productions).

In this way, piracy represents a real threat to consumers.

With regards to your comment about going after those who acquire the material as opposed to those who make it, I think one of the reasons why countries do this is for jurisdictional reasons. In the case of the French proposal mentioned above, many of the manufacturers of pirated material would operate in different countries and would be outside the reach of French law. French consumers and Internet Service Providers, on the other hand, are bound by French law and it makes more sense for lawmakers in France to set regulations to attempt to apply legislation at the consumer and ISP level, where there would be no issues about legal jurisdiction.

That said, I agree that the new law would have to have some protection for consumers against fraudulent claims.

Giovanna,

Thanks, I’m glad to hear that you enjoy the discussions here.

Likewise, the same can be said for discussions on your own blog, and it is a privilege for me to participate in your discussions.

Andrews last blog post..Should copyright infringers be disconnected?

Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action

I find it interesting that the law focuses on those who acquire vs those who make available the material. It’s a large problem, which needs a solution so that we can continue to have high quality content produced. Hollywood and TV need the high margins of cable and broadcast for mass appeal product. While more niche product can survive without, I would hate to lose Chuck or NCIS or some of the other programs I enjoy because of piracy.

One real issue with the way they are trying to structure the law is that the folks who acquire do not have the pocketbook to defend themselves from fraudulent claims in the same way providers do. And if a few claims can remove your access to what has become an indispensable source of communication, I think there really have to be signifiant protections built into the law.

Fred H Schlegels last blog post..Physics and Ideation: Creativity and Mismatched Socks