The Copyright Alert System (CAS) is coming!
The CAS is a much-anticipated [or dreaded] new anti-piracy plan called the “Six Strikes” Copyright Alert System Program. It aims to thwart large-scale piracy of copyrighted works on the Internet. The CAS is the Internet Service Providers’ industry-response to concerns about secondary liability for alleged copyright infringement and piracy committed on their networks.
What it is and How it Works
Entrepreneur.com reports as follows:
Participating ISPs have agreed to monitor their customers’ internet use for traffic that might be unauthorized content downloading. Whenever they spot such traffic, the ISP will issue a series of warnings to the account holder — which would be the business owner, not the customer who’s doing the downloading.
If the copyright infringement continues, the CCI says the ISPs can “take steps that temporarily affect that subscriber’s internet experience.” These steps can include:
- A temporary reduction in internet speed.
- A temporary downgrade in internet service.
- Redirection to a landing page for a set period of time, until a subscriber contacts the ISP or until the subscriber completes an online copyright education program.
CCI’s website does not specify the number of alerts that would be issued before “mitigation” action would be taken, but early versions of the plan called for six — hence the nickname “Six Strikes.” [Source: Entrepreneur.com]
There are serious concerns, however, about the impact on privacy [think “Big Brother”], mistaken identity and false claims, as well as the negative impact on businesses that provide free WiFi services to their customers.
TorrentFreak.com addressed various concerns about the ‘six strikes’ policy in January of this year:
During the coming weeks the controversial “six-strikes” anti-piracy system will kick off in the U.S. While none of the participating ISPs have officially announced how they will handle repeat infringers, TorrentFreak has obtained a copy of Verizon’s full [Copyright Alert System-Six Strikes] policy. Among other things, offenders will have to watch a video about the consequences of online piracy, before their speeds are reduced to 256kbps. Also worth mentioning is that the copyright alert system will also apply to business customers.
The CCI explains that the CAS “is designed to help consumers understand when files may have been shared illegally on peer-to-peer networks through their Internet accounts.” The CCI Web site explains what a Copyright Alert is, what to do if you receive one and what to do if you believe the alert was wrongly sent to you.
[Click here to review the Copyright Alert System information provided by CCI]
CCI members consist of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) as well as independent filmmakers and record producers represented by the Independent Film and Television Alliance (IFTA) and the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), and 5 major Internet service providers (ISPs) – AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon. CCI’s leadership also includes an Advisory Board made up of “consumer advocates, privacy specialists and technology policy experts.”
So before it’s unveiled [or unleashed, depending on your POV], check out the CAS YouTube video on rights and responsibilities.