ISPs Band Together to Fight Piracy

ISPS BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES: U.S. Internet Service Providers will roll out “copyright alert systems” later this year, according to the Center for Copyright Information. The agreement between the ISPs, MPAA and RIAA outlines a system for alerting subscribers of copyright infringements, then educating them on legal alternatives. The CCI hired veteran consumer advocate Jill Lesser as its executive director, forming last September as a collaborative effort between the music and movie industries and leading ISPs, including Verizon, Comcast, AT&T and Time Warner Cable. Measures taken by ISPs will graduate from a simple notice of infringement to "mitigation measures" that could include throttling bandwidth speeds and redirection of landing pages that can't be passed without calling the ISP. (4/3a)