Culture News Blog

Britain's six biggest internet service providers (ISPs) have signed up to a government-backed drive to clamp down on illegal downloading of music and films.

It is thought that around 6.5 million Britons have downloaded files illegally over the past year and estimates suggest that the practice will cost the music industry up to £1 billion over the next five years.

The fightback against online piracy will begin with letters to thousands of the most prolific downloaders to inform them that their activity has been detected and is being monitored.

It is thought likely that many parents will learn for the first time from the letters that their children are using their bedroom PCs and laptops for illegal piracy.

The Government's departments for business and culture will announce an industry agreement to address unlawful file-sharing, to which the big six ISPs - BT, Virgin Media, Orange, Tiscali, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse - have signed up.

It is understood that the ISPs have agreed to commit themselves to developing legal file-sharing services and to ensure their customers know that it is illegal to share copyright-protected music.

ISPs and film and music companies are expected to develop a new code of practice together on how they will deal with infringements, and the Government will then look at their proposals and consider how they can be backed up by new laws.

No details are yet available of what sanctions may be introduced to deal with persistent online pirates. Some of those involved in the issue would like to see ISP customers required to pay annual fees to cover the cost of downloading, or broadband usage limits imposed on heavy downloaders to stop them sharing files.

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