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Large Irish ISP To Enact "Three Strikes" Rule For Copyright Violation
Squeeonline writes "One of the biggest broadband providers in Ireland will make the country the first in the world (according to the broadsheet newspaper the Irish Times) to introduce the 'three strikes' rule. 'Eircom will from today begin a process that will lead to cutting off the broadband service of customers found to be repeatedly sharing music online illegally. Ireland is the first country in the world where a system of graduated response is being put in place. Under the pilot scheme, Eircom customers who illegally share copyrighted music will get three warnings before having their broadband service cut off for a year.' ... The mechanism by which it operates was challenged in the courts by the Data Protection Commissioner. Apparently, IP addresses do not constitute 'personal information.' Personally, I use filesharing all the time, but I use it to download large open source Linux ISOs. How will Eircom legally differentiate between that content, and the content that some ragamuffin may be downloading illegally, without infringing privacy laws?"
Or they'll just get drunk at lunch and call it a day!
Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
So that's four strikes, then.
No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
How will Eircom legally differentiate between that content, and the content that some ragamuffin may be downloading illegally, without infringing privacy laws?
They won't.
Guilt by association nails it on the head. I have friends who have been flagged by their ISPs because they downloaded large files with vaguely copyright infringing names like "warcraft collection" (a bunch of World of Warcraft add-ons) and "final doom" (a huge 3D digital scene depicting a random battle with one side on the verge of being totally wiped out)
I know. This really gets my ire up.
http://www.rootstrikers.org/
Please copy and paste, this is released under the GPL and creative commons.
Oh we'll see about THAT!
No one suspects the Digital Millennium Copyright Act!
Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
Well, at least they're only talking about cutting off broadband access.
You haven't heard the breaking news then. The RIAA have just hired Lorena Bobbitt as an enforcement strategy adviser.
I watched a band three times. Now they won't sell me tickets anymore because I remembered the show and took the memories home with me.
Which makes perfect sense in Europe, which is world renowned for its love of Baseball...
So ... after three strikes you're left with only two balls?