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Large Irish ISP To Enact "Three Strikes" Rule For Copyright Violation

Posted by timothy on from the very-very-naughty dept.

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?"

6 of 288 comments (clear)

  1. I'm guessing you'll be cut off by Kitkoan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Welcome to guilty by association.

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    Attention... all grammer nazi"s! Is they're anything; wrong with: my post,
  2. Not quite by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    found to be repeatedly sharing music online illegally

    This simply isn't true.

    What they will be doing is cutting off service to people who they are told, by a third party firm, are sharing copyrighted music. There is no decision of legality here because a court is not involved. Were they cutting off people who had been found, by a court of law, to have shared their music in violation of Irish copyright law, then you could use the word 'illegally'.

    Journalism is hard though. If it was easy everybody would do it.

    1. Re:Not quite by tsm_sf · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's nice to see that, instead of logic, we're basing our laws on sports metaphors. This jibes nicely with the level of intellect I assume lawmakers possess.

      --
      Literalism isn't a form of humor, it's you being irritating.
    2. Re:Not quite by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What's the laws for contracts in Ireland? In my country this would constitute a "considerable change of contract" and allow me to cancel immediately, no matter how much longer I am tied to that ISP.

      If Ireland has similar laws, I could forsee that EIRCOM will soon be known as "formerly one of the biggest ISP".

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      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:Not quite by EdIII · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Which is their right - the ISP has the right as a company to decide who they do and don't provide service to, so long as that is on a non-discriminatory (race, religion, age, gender, etc) basis.

      It's Ireland, so I don't know how much competition there is in that country, their feelings on monopolies, and whether or not the Internet constitutes a service that a citizen could live without.

      Speaking as an American, I can say I strongly disagree with you in strongest possible terms.

      The telecom companies in the US have enjoyed enormous advantages and generous allowances by the government to use public land ostensibly because at some point the citizenry was going to reap the benefits.

      This has not happened.

      What we have is a wholly corrupt system with the barest possible level of competition, and in some cases, no competition at all. Which is why Net Neutrality so god damned important to keep them from destroying the Internet as it exists now.

      Additionally, for many people the Internet has become as indispensable as water, gas, and electricity. I'm not talking about the need to post some banality on Facebook here, but important day to day errands that are increasingly becoming conducted on the Internet. Telecommuting, accessing public information, banking, voip, etc. So many of the services I receive on a day to day basis are entirely Internet based. Jeez, in some cases I even order Pizza on the Internet. In fact, last couple of times I needed something fixed on my house I issued a trouble ticket through a website for my home insurance.

      If I am going to be denied access to the Internet, which could effectively cut me off entirely, I damn well fucking deserve my rights to due process. If your a utility company, which most ISPs essentially are at this point, then you get less rights than a normal corporation and that only makes sense.

       

  3. Ass Monkies by Das+Auge · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What the hell is this? A country race to see who can be the biggest corporate ass monkey the fastest?