In the future, UK web pirates may be banned from net

Britons who illegally download mp3s or movies may have their internet rights revoked if legislative proposals introduced this week are passed. The new laws would require ISPs, or Internet Service Providers, to take legal action against any users known to be downloading, The Times of London reports.

The proposed policy follows the "three strikes you're out" mantra; Net users would be given a warning for the initial offense, a suspension of their contract for the second, and a compelet dissolution of their internet contract on the third illegal download. The government is also considering taking legal action against any ISPs who don't adhere to this policy.

With a piracy market reaching over 21.6 Billion GBP per year, talks between ISPs, the government, and the record industry have been ensuing for years.

“We welcome the signal from Government that it values the health of the creative industries and takes seriously the damage caused by widespread online copyright infringement," says
Roz Groome, vice-president of anti piracy for NBC Universal. "We call upon ISPs to take action now. They must play their part in the fight against online piracy and work with rights owners to ensure that ISPs’ customers do not use their services for illegal activity. Piracy stifles innovation and threatens the long term health of our industry.”

Personally, we feel there are so many innovative legal ways to get your music we don't see the point of risking it by going the other way. Free sites like Musicovery or Pandora allow users to create innovative playlists based on mood, song/artist preference, or even tempo. And companies such as eMusic sell records long since out of rotation, many of which are so obscure iTunes doesn't carry them. Even the structure of the record industry is changing, with the guys at Engadget and Downtown records launching Rcrd Lbl, an online resource that gives you the music free while still offering payment to the artists.

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