Ziggo refuses to disconnect customers for copyright infringement

Yesterday we reported on this site that Disney and Warner asked ISPs in the Netherlands to end the subscribtion of customers who violate third party’s copyrights. Erik van Doeselaar, spokesman for Dutch ISP Ziggo, reacted to this news by stating that Ziggo didn’t meet the film producers request. (...)

In 2006, ISP @Home, currently part of Ziggo, entered into a contract with Warner for offering the video service Movieplayz. @Home agreed to close the accounts of customers who violate copyrights by spreading the videos online. "When @Home and two other companies merged into Ziggo, we discussed this issue with the film studios," Van Doeselaar said to Nu.nl. "Ultimately it was decided that this provision would not be included in Ziggo contracts."

In the UK and France, laws on ending the subscription of customers that infringe copyrights online (graduated response) are already in force. Where violations continue after repeated warnings, an ISP can terminate the customers subscription. These consumers have to find another provider.

Dutch digital rights organization Bits of Freedom (BoF) recently addressed this issue. They fear that the introduction of a ‘graduated response’ approach in the Netherlands will lead to a practice where many internet users who are uploading and downloading on a regular basis will be excluded from the internet.

However, the Dutch government still opposes the introduction of a graduated response strategy. In their new Telecommunications Act, which is currently being reviewed in parliament, no such provision is included.

Source: Nu.nl