Consultations

BERR today launched a consultation on approaches for tackling illegal file-sharing.

The consultation is seeking views on the proposed co-regulatory approach put forward by BERR for working with industry and the regulator to address the issue of illegal peer-to-peer file sharing.

Alongside the consultation, a memorandum of understanding has been signed by the major ISPs and representatives of the content industry that sets out an objective to achieve ‘a significant reduction in the incidence of copyright infringement as a result of peer to peer file-sharing’ within the next two to three years.

This will begin with a three month trial where ISPs will notify 1,000 subscribers per week, who have been identified as being engaged in illegal file sharing, that their account is being used for illegal activity. The results from this trial will be assessed by the signatories before deciding on further action.

These developments come five months on from the government’s announcement, when it launched the ‘Creative Britain’ strategy paper, that it would consult in 2008 on legislation requiring rights holders and ISPs to work together to address illegal file-sharing.

At that time, government set a deadline of Spring 2009 for this issue to be addressed before legislation would be introduced, and today’s announcement is a significant step to finding a solution agreeable to ISPs, the content industries and government within that timescale.

BERR consultation on illicit P2P file-sharing