It’s a softer tactic than the one employed in the US, where those accused of illegally sharing music files are taken to court. But then again, it’s a different country. In the UK, music industry group BPI is mailing out letters to around 800 customers of the Virgin Media service who’ve been identified as illegal file shares, warning them of the consequences of their actions after the ISP agreed to pass the letters to its customers.
And what are those consequences? The BPI wants Internet providers to cut off customers who ignore the warnings, according to the BBC. It’s already suggested that ISPs take a greater role in educating their customers about file sharing, and wants the government to enact legislation to ensure ISPs co-operate.
However, to date few have shown the inclination to help the BPI, and one, Carphone Warehouse, has outright refused to co-operate.