Filesharers May Face Court Before Broadband Cut

Suspected illegal fileshares could be faced with a court order before having their broadband disconnected, according to comments made by the UK’s Culture Secretary, Ben Bradshaw.
There has been plenty of opposition towards the government’s plan to give more power to the music and entertainment industry which would force ISP’s to cut off the broadband connection of suspected illegal fire sharers without prior warning.
Therefore, Mr Bradshaw’s suggestion that a court order should first be used to prove a users guilt before they are disconnected is perceived to be good news.

Mr Bradshaw said, “It wouldn’t just happen on the basis of accusation. First there would need to be a court order for any of the technical measures.”
Record labels are also in agreement that warning letters should be followed up to eliminate persistent file sharing. They state that “any technical measures deemed necessary and appropriate by the Secretary of State” would be welcome to try to stop illegal downloads.
When speaking about the government’s retreat from the technical clampdown on persistent file sharers, James Alexander the Deloitte Media Partner, said it was definitely no surprise.
He said, “Perhaps this reflects that it was only intended as a shot across the bows by the government to deter people who think illegal downloading is an acceptable activity, as opposed to determined and technically adept criminals.”
Ultimately the government will determine what measures to enforce on November 18th in the Digital Economy Bill. No doubt up until that point there will be various other suggestions added as to what would be the best way to stop illegal piracy.