[Infowarrior] - IFPI's Magic Disconnector

[Richard Forno]

Note the last paragraph:    Tell me how this magic works.....IFPI has  
a magic wand that will disconnect little Susie but leave her brother  
and parents still connected on the same Internet connection?  Huh?  -rf


Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Strikes' Policies For Infringers Debated
By Juliana Gruenwald

http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/01/strikes-policies-for-infringer.php

As more countries weigh whether to punish serial copyright infringers  
by taking away their Internet access, critics debated Wednesday  
whether such efforts have a deterring effect. A panel discussion at  
the Congressional Internet Caucus' State of the Net conference  
examined such laws as one awaiting final approval in France that give  
infringers three chances to stop before their Internet access is cut  
off by a court and legislation working its way through the British  
Parliament that would impose graduated levels of notice against  
infringers with the ultimate sanction being a cutoff of Internet  
service.

John Morris of the Center for Democracy of Technology argued that  
given the importance of the Internet to  education, business and other  
aspects of society, cutting off Internet access goes too far, saying  
the actions of a child could harm the entire family. "The response is  
disproportionate" to the crime, he argued. He said a more appropriate  
penalty would be a lawsuit.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association's Matthew Schruers  
added that more focus should be placed on "notice," when an Internet  
service provider or someone else notifies a user that he or she may be  
infringing copyrighted materials. "Notice is very effective in getting  
people to stop" infringing, he said, pointing to Canada's notice  
regime as being particularly effective.

But Shira Perlmutter of the International Federation of the  
Phonographic Industry, which represents record companies around the  
world, argued that "notice doesn't really work," adding there needs to  
be "some sort of meaningful consequences." She also said that in most  
cases, Internet access would be suspended to only one account and may  
not affect a whole family. Perlmutter added that Internet service  
providers cut off service to customers now if they are abusing the  
ISP's services. But Schruers said those are voluntary actions, while  
the proposed laws would require ISPs to cut off a user's access.