It's the end of the internets as we know it
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 10:22 pm
Ofcom has today published three documents relating to its duties to address online copyright infringement under the Digital Economy Act 2010.
The first is a draft code, under which ISPs would notify subscribers of allegations that their account has been used to infringe copyright. The second is a short statutory consultation on the draft code, setting out reasons for our proposals. The consultation closes on 26 July 2012, and both documents are published together here.
The third document is a consultation on the sharing of costs incurred by the scheme. This consultation closes on 18 September 2012, and can be found here.
There is also a news release summarising these publications, available here.
How the code will work
The code will initially cover ISPs with more than 400,000 broadband-enabled fixed lines – currently BT, Everything Everywhere, O2, Sky, TalkTalk Group and Virgin Media.
If a customer receives three letters or more within a 12-month period, anonymous information may be provided on request to copyright owners showing them which infringement reports are linked to that customer’s account. The copyright owner may then seek a court order requiring the ISP to reveal the identity of the customer, with a view to taking legal action for infringement under the Copyright Designs and Patent Act 1988.
Copyright owners can already seek such court orders under existing law, but the Code is designed to enable them to focus legal action on the most persistent alleged infringers.
The first is a draft code, under which ISPs would notify subscribers of allegations that their account has been used to infringe copyright. The second is a short statutory consultation on the draft code, setting out reasons for our proposals. The consultation closes on 26 July 2012, and both documents are published together here.
The third document is a consultation on the sharing of costs incurred by the scheme. This consultation closes on 18 September 2012, and can be found here.
There is also a news release summarising these publications, available here.
How the code will work
The code will initially cover ISPs with more than 400,000 broadband-enabled fixed lines – currently BT, Everything Everywhere, O2, Sky, TalkTalk Group and Virgin Media.
If a customer receives three letters or more within a 12-month period, anonymous information may be provided on request to copyright owners showing them which infringement reports are linked to that customer’s account. The copyright owner may then seek a court order requiring the ISP to reveal the identity of the customer, with a view to taking legal action for infringement under the Copyright Designs and Patent Act 1988.
Copyright owners can already seek such court orders under existing law, but the Code is designed to enable them to focus legal action on the most persistent alleged infringers.
