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UK ISP Says No To Music Industry Pressure

Posted by kdawson on from the police-it-yourself dept.

siloko sends us to the BBC for the story of one ISP standing up to the music industry. (But note that this ISP is one of the ones said to have worked with Phorm on plans to track customers' surfing.) "The head of one of Britain's biggest internet providers has criticized the music industry for demanding that he act against pirates. Charles Dunstone of Carphone Warehouse, which runs the TalkTalk broadband service, is refusing. He said it is not his job to be an internet policeman."

5 of 70 comments (clear)

  1. Eh, whatever. by Futile+Rhetoric · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's a matter of money, not principle. Why the hell would a provider invest in the required infrastructure upgrades? Now, if the record industry agrees to pay for it, perhaps with a small bonus on top for lubrication purposes, they'll switch to a different tune just like that.

    1. Re:Eh, whatever. by Stripe7 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If they are forced to police P2P for copyright violations, then they have to police for child pr0n, then sexual predators, then for pr0n filtering, then the lawsuits show up for filtering breast cancer sites, drug rehab support sites, etc.. It opens up a can of worms no ISP wanting to avoid legal headaches would want to stick their toes into.

  2. Re:Love the guilt laden language they use... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I particularly liked

    The BPI denied it is asking ISPs to become internet police, saying the firms need to educate their customers not to steal music.
    Er well no, actually they don't need to do any such thing. As a trade body who apparently represents the interests of the recording industry it's your responsibility to "educate" the public. It's nothing to do with the ISP.
  3. Re:They make it sound like a natural thing by CmdrGravy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Also his smug assumption that if the ISPs don't reach a voluntary agreement that he'll simply have laws drawn up to compel them is quite sickening. Why should the trials of a group of music publicists be afforded so much attention and deference ?

  4. Is it not also a matter of privacy? by ewrong · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's a bit like asking the post office to open every single letter they deliver to check whether they have any illegally copied DVDs or CDs in there.