Verizon To Forward RIAA Letters
Verizon has agreed to forward warning letters provided by the RIAA to targeted subscribers warning them of illegal activity. While far less than the three strikes policies advocated by some in the recording industry, the move marks a shift for Verizon who previously resisted requests from rights organizations.
"We recognize the importance of copyright and the need to enforce those copyrights," a Verizon spokesman told CNET. "Without that enforcement, intellectual property won't be generated at all. At the same time, it's important for our customers to be assured that they won't have their privacy rights trampled."
Almost a year ago the RIAA announced that it would stop suing illegal file sharers and work with ISPs to shut down the activity. But to date no U.S. ISP has agreed. The letters from Verizon are part of a test by the company expected to begin Thursday. Jonathan Lamy, an RIAA spokesman, confirmed the the test but declined to comment.
Way to go Verizon. I like how at they say “At the same time, it’s important for our customers to be assured that they won’t have their privacy rights trampled.” What does that mean?
How are privacy rights being upheld when they are forwarding cease and desist orders from the RIAA? Isn’t that a blatant disregard for privacy rights?
I’m still confused as to why intellectual property is going to be harmed by basic functions of the internet/digital technologies. It should be assumed that digital files will get copied. It can be done by any computer with the click of a mouse. What are we going to do, remove control + c shortcut from all computers? Grow some balls Verizon.