[A2k] The Register - BT starts threatening music downloaders with internet cut-off

[Barbara Stratton]

BT starts threatening music downloaders with internet cut-off - BPI wins an=
other ISP ally
By Chris Williams | The Register Thursday 26th June 2008

Read the full article and BT's letter at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/=
06/26/bt_bpi_letter/

<SNIP>

BT, the UK's largest broadband provider, has begun threatening subscribers =
with disconnection from the internet if it is told they are sharing copyrig=
ht music over peer-to-peer networks, The Register has learned. The firm rec=
ently sent an email to one of its four million retail
broadband customers, who asked not to be named, alleging that she had illeg=
ally participated in a network sharing of Biology, a song by Girls Aloud...=
..

<SNIP>

....BT's disconnection threat goes beyond the recent agreement (http://www.=
theregister.co.uk/2008/06/06/virgin_media_bpi_deal/) by Virgin Media to par=
tcipate in an "education campaign" with the BPI, which has been lobbying IS=
Ps to help it combat digital piracy. The ongoing effort sees cable subscrib=
ers who the BPI identifies as illegal filesharers receive two letters expla=
ining that copyright infringement via peer-to-peer networks is illegal and =
pressing them to stop. Neither letter explicitly threatens the possibility =
of disconnection from the internet, however*....

...*Of the two letters Virgin Media customers receive only the one signed b=
y the BPI makes a cursory allusion to disconnection. It says: "We don't wan=
t you to face legal action or risk losing your internet service - we want y=
ou to enjoy music legally."