ISPs demand record biz pays up if cut-off P2P users sue

[Mels_Smileys45]

Money meets mouth on file-sharing legislation threats


ISPs are calling on the record industry to put its money where its mouth is on illegal file-sharing, by underwriting the cost of lawsuits brought by people who are wrongly accused of downloading or uploading music.

ISPA told The Register today it is worried about the cost to its members if users targeted by rights holders for copyright infringement turn out to be innocent. "We still need to establish the proof points," a spokesman said.

It's the latest public detail from long-running private negotiations that have hit mainstream media headlines today. The lobbying campaign to have government force ISPs to disconnect persistent illegal file-sharers scored a victory with a leak to The Times. The draft government document says: "We will move to legislate to require internet service providers to take action on illegal file-sharing."

The threat (note the qualifier "move to") is not news, however. A battle between the record industry and ISPs over the plans has been waged in private for over a year, and the government has indicated on more than one occasion that it backs the rights holders. The leak merely repeats earlier reports that the government is indeed preparing legislation if a voluntary settlement is not reached soon.

The details of the proposed three strikes system and the stalemate in negotiations have also been public for some time.


Read on: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02...ng_paper_leak/

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Bout time the ISPs did something decent.