Blog: ISPs Will Begin Enforcing 6 Strike Anti-Piracy Plan

A long promised U.S. Copyright Alert System (CAS) finally went live. Targeting consumers whose accounts have been used to share copyrighted content over Person to Person networks illegally, or without authority. The first string of ISPs to begin enforcing this plan will be Comcast, followed by AT&T,Cablevision, Time Warner, and later Verizon.

Last year the MPAA and RIAA teamed up with five major Internet providers in the United States to launch the Center for Copyright Information (CCI). They came up with a system through which subscribers are warned that their copyright infringements are unacceptable.

After six alerts, which are largely described as educational, the alerts will result in “mitigation measures.” Users may then, either face a temporary reduction of Internet speed; redirection to a landing page until the primary account holder contacts the ISP and/or redirection to a landing page where the primary account holder must review and respond to educational information.

“After the fifth alert, the content owner may pursue legal action against the customer, and may seek a court order requiring AT&T to turn over personal information to assist the litigation,” AT&T explains.

Under the copyright alert system Internet providers have to inform copyright holders about which IP-addresses are repeatedly flagged. The MPAA and RIAAcan then use this information to ask the court for a subpoena, so they can obtain the personal details of the account holder. Although the ISPs emphasized that “education” is the goal, rather than lawsuits.

We were unable to confirm whether or not there was a process in place for consumers to dispute charges of infringement yet. It should be noted that content partners will begin sending notices of alleged P2P copyright infringement to ISPs today (2/25/13)

Does it make you feel safer knowing that your content will be better protected across the internet? Or does this level of internet policing feel overbearing?