UK government reviewing radical new anti-piracy plan

A radical plan to tackle internet piracy, which would make broadband providers legally liable for music and films downloaded from unlicensed websites by their customers, is being considered by the UK government the Observer reports. The plan is one of the plans submitted to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) a head of possible legislation expected early next year.

The plan, submitted by consultancy firm Ingenious Media, calls for a profit sharing model in which ISPs would receive a small payment for every film or music track downloaded legally by their customers. This could mean millions of euros of additional revenue for the ISPs. However, in return the ISPs are responsible for cracking down on the piracy activity on their networks.

BERR is expected to publish its recommendation on piracy in January, following a long consultation on peer-to-peer file sharing that ended in October.