Ofcom

Induction Assessment
The new draft code laid out by Ofcom specifies their new ‘three strike’ policy in order to minimise in not completely stop illegal downloaders. The policy is hoped to come into effect from March 2014 and will then work on the basis of the illegal downloaders receiving warning letters from their internet service providers under the Ofcom draft code for the government’s anti-piracy regime. If downloaders get three of the warning letters in a year they will face anonymous information or their downloading provided to the copyright owners this could then be used against them in a court order to reveal the identity of the downloader so that legal action is able to take place against the downloader.
Ed Vaizey a creative industries minister agrees with Ofcom in that the law should be changed. Over the past decade the music industry alone is said to have seen a drastic decrease in its revenue for which it blames internet piracy. Vaizey states that the government creates the correct environment for businesses to expand including the creative industries. Therefore the industry has the right to protect what it produces and should have the right to charge people for access to it. A change in law would greatly benefit the industry as it would be more protected and may be able to make up for some of the revenue they have lost over the previous year’s allowing the industry to continually grow. Vaizey also believes that by educating the public in piracy and where to find the legitimate content people may stop committing piracy.
However, executive director of the Open Rights group Jim Killock put forward the argument against the law change by saying that the draft code can be easily flawed and potentially leave places like hotels, bars and libraries who offer an internet connection to their customers via WI-FI at risk of being falsely accused of piracy. Killock believes option to appeal offered by the new draft code is a ‘joke’ and that innocent people will...