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Big content moans that faster internet encourages piracy

by on26 March 2019


Bring back the analogue modem

The music industry still has not got the hang of broadband and seems to be saying that it aids piracy.

Sony, Universal, Warner, and their various minions have sued an ISP called Charter Communications, claiming that the cable Internet provider profits from music piracy by not ending the accounts of subscribers who illegally download copyrighted songs.

The music business claims that Charter helps its subscribers pirate music by selling packages with higher Internet speeds. After all everyone knows that higher internet speeds mean you are pirating stuff.

Ars Technica pointed out that while the act of supplying higher Internet speeds clearly isn't a violation of any law, ISPs can be held liable for their users' copyright infringement if the ISPs repeatedly do not disconnect repeat infringers.

Charter has a copyright policy that says repeat copyright infringers may be disconnected, Charter has failed to disconnect those repeat infringers in practice, the complaint said.

"Despite these alleged policies, and despite receiving hundreds of thousands of infringement notices from Plaintiffs… Charter knowingly permitted specifically identified repeat infringers to continue to use its network to infringe.”

In a move which is a return to the old days of Big Content bullying the complaint seeks statutory damages of up to $150,000 for each work infringed or for actual damages including any profit Charter made from allowing piracy. Given that Big Content sent “thousands of infringements” notices we would think that it is looking to bankrupt the company with a megafine.

It also has a bee in its bonney about BitTorrent claiming that "online piracy committed via BitTorrent is stunning in nature, speed, and scope."

Last modified on 26 March 2019
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