The controversial French Hadopi law which sends internet users who download copyrighted media illegally with up to three warning letters has been in place for under three years now. That’s just long enough to pump out some juicy stats on the behavioural patterns of those offenders when faced with stern warnings. It’s of particular interest to us Irish, as Eircom adopted the same tactic after pressure from music representative body IRMA (Irish Recorded Music Association) in 2010.
So what are the results? Out of 45 million internet users in France, 822,000 people were sent first round warning letters about their infringements. That number drops to 68,000 people for second round repeat offenders. The number of people who received a third letter of warning? 165. That’s a significant drop that suggests the three-strikes policy is more useful than litigation or site blocking. Discuss…
It has been over a year since Eircom, prompted by Irish Recorded Music Association’s (IRMA) court proceedings, announced they were to implement a “three strikes and you’re out” rule designed to stop internet access to those who download music illegally. Last Friday, a High Court decision, which clarified that the rule adhered to data protection legislation, has now allowed that plan to become a reality.
Under the “three strikes” rule, IRMA (which represents Warner Music, EMI, Universal Music and Sony Music) is allowed to pass IP addresses to Eircom so the Internet Service Provider can warn the customer up to three times to desist illegal downloading before an ultimate internet disconnection.
This ruling paves the way for IRMA to place pressure on other ISPs to follow suit. The High Court judge noted that the “three strikes” protocol will not lead to criminal proceedings or court sentencing and that the rule itself is lawful. It’s unclear at present, whether an accused downloader will be able to challenge the rule.
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Two months back I wrote about the music and movie industries plans to implement a “three strikes and you’re out” rule to internet users found downloading copyrighted material with the help of internet service providers. While Eircom capitulated to the demand, promising to shut off users, it seems to be the only ISP in the world which has rolled over so easily.
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