US piracy deal right for Australia: AFACT
The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) has welcomed reports that US internet service providers (ISPs) and film studios are close to an agreement on how to deal with piracy; however, the Internet Industry Association is adopting a wait-and-see approach.
Last week, ZDNet Australia's sister site CNET revealed that a deal was close to being signed off between a group representing some of the biggest US ISPs and a number of media companies to deter users from infringing on copyright. The proposal would see ISPs issue written warnings to users caught illegally downloading copyrighted works. If the user continued to illegally download material, the ISP would eventually push a number of punishments, including limiting bandwidth or speed or only allowing the user to access certain websites. It would be at the ISP's discretion as to whether repeat offenders would have their accounts terminated.
According to sources, ISPs and copyright holders would share the costs for the operation of this system.
