Peer-to-peer downloaders beware - a new system has just been set in place this past Monday to deter online piracy more effectively than ever before. The new Copyright Alert System (CAS) is the results of months of collaborative effort by several organizations and professionals, including the entertainment industry, working with the Center for Copyright Information (CCI) on the innovative system. Several participating Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will begin employing the alert system soon, which has already gained acknowledgement as the “six strike” policy.
The CAS works through data traffic monitoring performed by both content partners and the ISP. The content partner will notify the ISP of any alleged copyright infringement that is or has taken place, and in turn, the ISP will alert the corresponding customer about the copyright violation. The customers who allegedly used peer-to-peer or other similar file sharing networks to distribute or download copyrighted content must then respond to the alert - this process varies slightly for each respective ISP. People will have the option of contesting the illegality of their online actions by filing a request for independent review to the American Arbitration Association (AAA) for a fee of $35. If, of course, the customer is proven innocent, the money will be fully refunded by the ISP.
The way each internet provider will alert a customer about their possible wrongdoing isn’t fully understood quite yet. However, Time Warner Cable has already announced that it plans to temporarily suspend a customer’s internet service until they call in and agree to stop their pirating ways. Verizon’s method has also leaked, with a plan to slow violators’ internet speeds to a sluggish dial-up speed for a few days. The “six-strike” moniker comes from observations that the sixth strike will lead to immediate penalty from the ISP.
Those implementing the CAS hope to get the message across that the new system is not meant for punishing, but rather to educate violators on copyrighted content distribution and possible legal alternatives. Ultimately, the goal is to drive the innovation of new online services and content creation for all to enjoy legally. Gigi Sohn, President of Public Knowledge, believes the system to be a test on whether or not a voluntary copyright infringement system will work and urges ISPs to remain transparent about how the system is working. We shall have to wait and see.
How this will impact copyright lawsuit trolls is also up in the air. I doubt they will stop such a lucrative activity.
Cabe