The parents of thousands of British teenagers illegally downloading music and films will be sent warning letters under a deal struck between Internet providers and the entertainment industry. Six Internet service companies (ISPs) have agreed the voluntary measure to avoid statutory regulation or levies, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
Many parents are unaware of - or turn a blind eye to - their children's illegal downloading of music or television programmes from file-sharing sites across the Internet.
Around 6.5 million Britons are thought to have downloaded music illegally last year, with the music industry estimated to face losses of one billion pounds in revenue over the next five years. The letters will be sent over three months in a trial period by Britain's six largest ISPs - BT, Virgin Media, Orange, Tiscali, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse.
If the voluntary measure fails to reduce illegal downloading, the government will consider raising a levy of up to 30 pounds on each Internet connection to compensate music and film companies, the Independent reported.
Possible sanctions for persistent offenders could include a "three-times-and-you're-out" threat to switch off their Internet connection for a year.
Feargal Sharkey, the former Undertones lead singer and now the head of musicians' body British Music Rights (BMR), said it was a "groundbreaking" deal. "It is a first step, and a very big step, in what we all acknowledge is going to be quite a long process," he told BBC
radio. He said a survey conducted by BMR showed 80 percent of young down-loaders would be prepared to buy downloads from a legal file-sharing network. "I don't think it's a controversial statement to say that people should pay for music," Culture Secretary Andy Burnham told BBC Radio.
If the creative industries are to play an important part in our future, their success is critically underpinned by workable systems of copyright."