Film industry seeks online 'speed humps' to thwart internet piracy
The UK film and television industry is calling on the government to introduce online "speed humps" that would slow down or restrict the broadband access of people who illegally share copyrighted material, and slap pop-up warnings on websites to stem the rising tide of internet piracy.
The communications minister, Lord Carter, has pledged to protect the UK's creative industries from the ravages of online piracy as part of his final Digital Britain report out on 16 June. But the film and TV industry believes that with an estimated six million people in Britain illegally sharing files, the suggestion that they should pursue all pirates through the courts is disproportionate and unworkable.
Instead, they are proposing that internet service providers (ISPs), some of whom have previously sent letters to persistent illegal file-sharers warning that their actions could land them in court, should put in place technical measures that would shut off or warn about sites used by pirates.
