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Britian Tells Internet Service Providers To Block Music and Film Pirating Sites

Reuters London - With a deadline for action on Internet piracy passed, the British government is being urged to adopt a proposal made in France to cut Internet access to users who repeatedly download music or films illegally.

The government had given the music and film industries until the end of 2007 to come to a voluntary agreement with Internet service providers over how to tackle illegal file sharing.

With no sign of an agreement in place, it is due to publish its options in a strategy document in the coming weeks, and in a separate report later, for reducing piracy.

The music industry has suggested adopting the French model, where warning messages are sent to those who frequently download music or films illegally. If the messages are ignored, users can have their accounts suspended or closed altogether.

The body representing Internet service providers says it prefers a voluntary agreement, but the music industry counters that it has been required to demand legal action because Internet piracy has cut so deeply into revenue.

Global music sales were down around 10 percent in 2007 and the international music trade body, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, estimates that tens of billions of illegal tracks were swapped last year.

But John Kennedy, the head of the IFPI, said there was a growing perception that service providers must take more responsibility for cracking down on illegal activity.

"It is simply not acceptable for ISPs to turn a blind eye to the piracy on their networks, which is at such a rate that there are 20 illegal music downloads for every legal track sold," Kennedy said. "Record companies have licensed more than six million tracks to over 500 legal services and consumers can now legitimately get access to music online in a wide variety of ways.

"If the French and British governments take action and others follow," he added, "there will be more room for the legal market to grow, as services will not have to compete with the 'something for nothing' deal available on the illegal networks that do not invest a penny in generating new music."

A report in The Times of London on Tuesday suggested that the government could require ISPs to take action against users who accessed pirated material.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport declined to comment on what options would be recommended in the strategy report.

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