The illegal download of video games, movies and music has run rampant on the internet since the moment “Napster” entered our vocabulary and now ISPs are attempting to fight the practice by punishing downloaders in a new way, limiting their internet download speeds.
Under the new plan ISPs will alert customers up to six times for illegal activity, each time slowing their connection or sending them to a special page via their browser that teaches them about copyright law.
The new practice also means that consumers will be able to appeal with ISPs and their name and other personal information will not be sent to the entertainment industry.
The plan has been in the works for the years and was originally proposed to sever connections with pirates which the plan now falls short of accomplishing.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal the president of the Recording Industry Association of America says the plan is meant to “scare straight” occasional users of file-sharing services, noting:
“If we can convert a lot of those casual infringers to become legitimate purchasers, that can make a huge difference.”
