Eircom settles with Big Music: will cut off file-sharers

Eircom has settled its case with the big music labels, which were suing it to take more action against illegal file-sharers. If the music labels come to it with IP addresses that they have identified as illegal file-sharers, Eircom will, in its own words:

"1) inform its broadband subscribers that the subscribers IP address has been detected infringing copyright and

"2) warn the subscriber that unless the infringement ceases the subscriber will be disconnected and

"3) in default of compliance by the subscriber with the warning it will disconnect the subscriber"

Sound like a climbdown by Eircom? Not so, says its head of communications, Paul Bradley.

"They wanted to get into our network, to implement a technological solution," he told me a few minutes ago. "Instead, they've agreed they're not getting that. They're going to get a third party to go off and try and gather information themselves as to who is using our network to file-share illegally. It's a key difference."

And then?

"What happens at the moment is that music labels need to go to court to get an order asking us to shut off a subscriber's connection. Under the compromise, they will come to us, using the same standard of proof they would have given the court. We need to be convinced that our subscriber is file-sharing illegally."

Comments

[Thomas Brunkard]

Ouch. Have very little sympathy for the recorded music industry. Would favour this if MP3's were not so ridiculously over priced - a low quality delivered at next to zero cost for the price of the CD. I'm sure this will stop file sharing on Eircom for about two weeks till a circumventing measure appears.

[Gerard Cunningham]

According to Silicon Republic, 'The labels wanted Eircom to install filtering software such as Audible Magic to help prevent the rise of music piracy which coincided with and they believe is responsible for falling music sales'.

A google for 'bypass Audible Magic' suggests that getting past the barrier is relatively trivial. so what does that leave us with? An assumption of guilt against any subscriber with a heavy usage pattern?

[Leon Quinn]

As soon as everyone realises its pointless to try stop these downloads the better. The music companies should stop wasting time and money on legalities and think of beter and cheaper ways to distribute their mucis!

[Antoin O Lachtnain]

Does this apply to all illegal activity on the Internet? What about wikipedia vandalism, for instance?

[Anderson Ward]

I us PeerGuardian 2 to block both Eircom and IrishBroadband from tracing my P2P activity. It works..

[Justin Mason]

Anderson: for now. Apps like PeerGuardian will be working adversarially against the investigative companies like Dtecnet, so it's going to be cat and mouse for the foreseeable future, I'd reckon, with Dtecnet finding ways around their blocklists and vice-versa. (this has parallels in my own experience in the anti-spam field ;)

fwiw, I blogged some followup thoughts at http://taint.org/2009/01/29/111355a.html

[celebrities]

instead of holding on to fancy prices, these music companies could sell cheaper so the increased sales volume would generate desired profit

[Silky Upskirt]

yes.. attractive post!

[video]

yes,Music companies must reduce their prices to sell large volume.Consumer also benefit on buying those music videos