• TorrentFreak, Monday, March 17, 2008 11:15 AM

Over the weekend, Japan's four leading Internet service providers announced that they would use tracking software to catch users who share files illegally over the Internet. The "special detection software" gives copyright organizations user IP addresses and interprets whether the files they exchange contain copyrighted material. The ISPs then warn infringers for the first offense and disconnect or disrupt their service for subsequent offenses. Frequent offenders could be disconnected permanently; the process for termination will be developed in April, when the ISPs collaborate with copyright holders in devising the system.

This was not a government-mandated initiative-the ISPs collectively decided to implement the software amid mounting pressure from the record and music industries. In the UK, authorities are mulling similar measures. There have also been proposals for banning persistent file-sharers in France and Australia.

This is a major step backwards for those who believe the copyright system is archaic and that content should be free. The Silicon Alley Insider's Henry Blodget (link: http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/3/japan_isps_to_unplug_file_sharers_us_to_follow_suit_) says the move, for the ISPs, kills two birds with one stone: it gets the music and film studios off their back and helps control the exploding demand for bandwidth. It's also "a far more sensible approach" to dealing with the problem than the Recording Industry Association of America suing file-sharers.

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