The UK Government has outlined its plans to enforce its new Digital Economy Act, aimed at cracking down on online piracy. Under the new scheme, copyright holders will pay 75 per cent of the costs associated with tackling online copyright infringement, while internet service providers will shoulder the remaining burden. Comsumer groups have warned such […]
The UK Government has outlined its plans to enforce its new Digital Economy Act, aimed at cracking down on online piracy. Under the new scheme, copyright holders will pay 75 per cent of the costs associated with tackling online copyright infringement, while internet service providers will shoulder the remaining burden.
Comsumer groups have warned such a move could push up the price of broadband. Commenting on the move, the minister for communications said the costs Ed Vaizey, The costs of policing the Digital Economy Act are “proportionate, despite protests from internet service providers who argue the ruling will push up the price of home broadband connections.
15/09/2010
Vaizey said that rights holders would absorb 75 per cent of the cost of sending warning letters to web users suspected of online copyright infringement, while internet service providers would be responsible for covering the remaining 25 per cent.
“Protecting our valuable creative industries, which have already suffered significant losses as a result of people sharing digital content without paying for it, is at the heart of these measures,” he said.
“The Digital Economy Act serves to reduce online copyright infringement through a fair and robust process and at the same time provides breathing space to develop better business models for consumers who buy music, films and books online.”
The fees will cover the cost of notifying suspected copyright infringers, and of administering the appeals process. Consumers who wish to appeal a so-called “notification of copyright infringement” – a letter sent through the post – will not have to pay a fee in order to have their case heard.
But the decision has been met with opposition from internet service providers, who say the cost of the measures could push up the price of home broadband connections for consumers.
The Government acknowledged that the use of a free appeals system could attract a large number of “unnecessary appeals”. It pledged to “monitor the situation closely” and said it reserved the right to introduce a small fee at a later date in order to dissuade vexatious appeals.
The ruling by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will now be submitted to the European Commission before it is introduced in Parliament as a Statutory Order.
Ofcom, the communications regulator, will be responsible for implementing the notifications process, which comes in to effect in 2011.
