Pirates Be Warned Against Downloading Copyrighted Content

Digital pirates be warned that an internet storm is brewing. The Copyright Alert System (CAS) will begin to repetitively caution and possibly prosecute people abusing digital copyrights in regards to online TV shows, movies or music files.

Using a service called MarkMonitor, copyright owners like the Motion Picture Association of America and Recording Industry Association of America, as well as individual members including Disney, Sony Pictures, Fox, EMI and Universal can monitor peer-to-peer networks such as BitTorrent and Pirate Bay. MarkMonitor employs a combination of people and automated systems to spot illegal downloading and ensure brand protection.

Participating internet providers like AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner, and Verizon will deliver the message to offenders after illegal activity is detected that they have been busted. According to the Center for Copyright Information (CCI) the process will be as follows:

• educational alerts will come first
• next acknowledgement alerts will come that require the recipients to let their ISP know they have received the notices
• enhanced alerts that contain “mitigation measures” will follow will be sent to accounts where alleged infringing activity continues

Tactics that internet providers may use to curb additional infringement after several notices have been sent include slowing down internet speeds to make it difficult to download large files. As CNN reports, “terminating the Internet service is not one of the options” instigated by the CAS, but internet providers can cancel subscriptions if they desire based on their terms of service.

The Verge explains that “the overall goal of the Copyright Alert System is to inform customers rather than punish them.” The CCI states that it is "designed to make consumers aware of activity that has occurred using their Internet accounts, educate them on how they can prevent such activity from happening again, and provide information about the growing number of ways to access digital content legally."

The CCI and internet providers want to assume the best about their customers. It’s possible someone else could be downloading copyrighted content through an unsecure wireless connection among several other explanations. They seek to offer internet surfers guidance on the “rules of the road” and the system aims to elevate awareness of these breaches and how to protect against them.

As much as one would hope people would conduct themselves in a moral and ethical way both on and offline, the fact of the matter is pirates are everywhere and their population is growing. An infographic recently published by BackgroundCheck.org explains why copyright holders are concerned about protecting their intellectual property and how the cost of piracy is not only a national but global concern. Highlights include:

1. In 2008, 41% of software installed on PCs was pirated.
2. $51 billion was lost in 2009 due to online piracy.
3. Up to 24% of global Internet bandwidth consists of pirated content.
4. From 2004 to 2009, 30 billion songs were downloaded illegally.
5. Movie piracy costs U.S. film studios $25 billion annually.
6. Over 70% of Americans feel that sharing movie and music files with family members is okay and over 50% feel that sharing with friends is okay.
7. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on anti-piracy campaigns annually.
8. 70% of 18-29 year-olds have downloaded illegal content.

Ignorance of the law is not an excuse for defiance. People who depend on illegal downloads to consume their quota of digital media should consider seeking out streaming sources instead while that’s still legal.

Image courtesy of James Barker at FreeDigitalPhotos