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BPI: ISPs must give filesharers the boot

Put your house in order

Music industry body, the BPI, is demanding that two ISPs close the accounts of 59 internet users after it presented them with what it calls "unequivocal evidence of copyright infringement" on their accounts.

BPI said that although its own campaign against filesharers is going tremendously well (action taken against 139 uploaders and 111 out of court settlements) ISPs are failing to take effective stop illegal filesharing. It has collected a raft of IP addresses from filesharing networks - 17 of which are with Tiscali, and a further 42 with Cable & Wireless.

BPI Chairman Peter Jamieson said, "We have demonstrated in the courts that unauthorised filesharing is against the law. We have said for months that it is unacceptable for ISPs to turn a blind eye to industrial-scale copyright infringement.

"We are providing Tiscali and Cable & Wireless with unequivocal evidence of copyright infringement via their services. It is now up to them to put their house in order and pull the plug on these people."

Despite the rather world weary tone of the BPI release announcing the demand, Tiscali says it only heard from the BPI at 10:15 this morning. It issued a statement saying that it doesn't automatically suspend accounts on request, although it does sometimes do so, pending investigation.

"We are reviewing the information they have provided and will respond appropriately," the statement concluded.

Cable & Wireless issued a similar response, saying that normally, any accounts involved in illegal filesharing would be closed, under the terms of its acceptable use policy.

We contacted the BPI to confirm when it informed the ISPs concerned, and ask what further action it is likely to take against the ISPs in the event of non cooperation, but no one was able to return our call at the time of going to press. ®

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