Warning letters "won't put off pirates"

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 10 Jun 2009 at 08:02

Only a third of illegal file sharers would stop if they received a warning letter from their ISP, according to new research.

The research, which was commissioned by media lawyers Wiggin and in association with paidContent:UK, looks like yet another attempt to convince Communications Minister Lord Carter to come down hard on file sharers in this month's Digital Britain report.

The Digital Entertainment Survey claims that warning letters alone will prove ineffective in the majority of cases. However, the survey reveals that if the letters were accompanied with the threat of eventual broadband disconnection, 80% of people would stop immediately.

The research contrasts sharply with last year's Digital Entertainment Survey, however, which claimed that 70% of people would stop downloading if they received a warning letter.

What could explain the rather convenient swing in public opinion? "This drop appears to be explained by the fact that respondents this year were asked to consider the possibility of a communication containing no specific threat," the report claims.

"Last year's figure of 70% can only be explained by an assumption by the respondents that the communication was a prelude to further action. It is apparent that much more targeted action is required if file sharers are to be persuaded to stop."

Lord Carter has been subject to a period of sustained lobbying by the media industry over the past few weeks on the issue of file sharing.

Earlier this month, Respect For Film called for "speed bumps" for file sharers, which would cripple the connection speeds of people accused of partaking in illegal downloads.

Then culture secretary Andy Burnham told a music conference that the Government was prepared to implement "technical measures" to beat file sharers.

Those plans were attacked by Carphone Warehouse boss Charles Dunstone, who claimed that "people will simply either disguise their traffic or share the content another way".