Households in the UK that persistently pirate music and movies online will receive letters warning them that their actions are illegal from next year.
The warnings are part of a new scheme brokered between internet service providers (ISPs) and the industry bodies representing content copyright holders to educate the public about online piracy.
From the beginning of 2015, up to four warnings will be sent annually to individuals suspected of online piracy, although if these warnings are ignored no further action will be taken.
This ‘voluntary copyright alert programme’ (Vcap) is a significant step back from plans outlined in the Digital Economy Act 2010, which would have seen persistent pirates have their internet access cut.
Speaking in March this year, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport Ed Vaizey said that implementing the act fully had been held back by “significant technical obstacles”.
In addition to cutting off internet access, industry rights holders also wanted the warnings to mention potential penalties facing pirates as well as giving the industry access to a database of known file-sharers.
In addition to the letters, the government has also pledged to contribute £3.5 million to a new educational campaign promoting legal ways to download music and movies.
Business secretary Vince Cable announced the scheme, saying: “It's a difficult industry to pin down and it's also difficult to protect. But unless you protect it then it's an industry that cannot function."
Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the British Phonographic Institution (BPI) said that although the letter-writing scheme lacked any clout it was still an important part of the industry’s efforts to preserve the £71bn it contributes to the UK’s economy.
"It's about persuading the persuadable, such as parents who do not know what is going on with their net connection," he said, adding “Vcap is not about denying access to the internet. It's about changing attitudes and raising awareness so people can make the right choice.”
Figures published by Ofcom last year suggested that nearly a quarter of all downlaods in the UK were of pirated content, but that just two per cent of users accounted for nearly three quarters (74 per cent) of the volume of downloads.
