[Infowarrior] - Japan ISPs to cut access of file sharers

[Richard Forno]

Winny copiers to be cut off from Internet

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080315TDY01305.htm

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The nation's four Internet provider organizations have agreed to forcibly
cut the Internet connection of users found to repeatedly use Winny and other
file-sharing programs to illegally copy gaming software and music, it was
learned Friday.

The move aims to deal with the rise in illegal copying of music, gaming
software and images that has resulted in huge infringements on the rights of
copyright holders.

Resorting to cutting off the Internet connection of copyright violators has
been considered before but never resorted to over fears the practice might
involve violations of privacy rights and the freedom of use of
telecommunications.

The Internet provider organizations have, however, judged it possible to
disconnect specific users from the Internet or cancel provider contracts
with them if they are identified as particularly flagrant transgressors in
cooperation with copyright-related organizations, according to sources.

The four organizations include the Telecom Service Association and the
Telecommunications Carriers Association. About 1,000 major and smaller
domestic providers belong to the four associations, which means the measure
would become the first countermeasure against Winny-using rights-violators
used by the whole provider industry.

They organizations plan to launch a consultative panel, possibly in April,
together with copyright organizations including the Japanese Society for
Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers and the Association of Copyright
for Computer Software. They will then begin making guidelines for
disconnecting users from the Internet who leak illegally copied material
onto the Net.

The number of users of file-sharing software such as Winny in the country is
estimated to be about 1.75 million, with most of the files exchanged using
the software believed to be illegal copies.

A brief six-hour survey by a copyright organization monitoring the Internet
found about 3.55 million examples of illegally copied gaming software, worth
about 9.5 billion yen at regular software prices, and 610,000 examples of
illegally copied music files, worth 440 million yen, that could be freely
downloaded into personal computers using such software, the sources said. In
other words, this survey alone, uncovered damages amounting to 10 billion
yen.

Two years ago, a major Internet provider tried to introduce a measure to
disconnect users from the Internet whenever the company detected the use of
Winny or other file-sharing software.

However, the provider abandoned the idea after receiving a warning from the
Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry that such an approach was
regarded as Internet snooping and might violate the right to privacy in
communications.

According to the new agreement, copyright organizations would notify
providers of Internet protocol addresses used by those who repeatedly make
copies illegally, using special detection software. The providers would then
send warning e-mails to the users based on the IP addresses of the computers
used to connect to the Internet. If contacted users did not then stop their
illegal copying, the providers would temporarily disconnect them from the
Internet for a specified period of time or cancel their service-provision
contracts.
(Mar. 15, 2008