Britain To Cut Web Access Of Internet Pirates

RAPHAEL G. SATTER

LONDON (AP) — The British government said Wednesday that it would block persistent illegal file sharers' Internet connections by forcing service providers to pull the plug on lawbreakers.

Britons who repeatedly download music or films illegally would have their accounts suspended, Business Secretary Peter Mandelson said, in an announcement that angered some Internet service providers.

Mandelson argued that illegal file-sharing was draining millions of pounds (dollars) from the creative industries and that the government "cannot sit back and do nothing."

"It is not a victimless act," he said. "It is a genuine threat."

A bill expected to become law next year would force Internet service providers to identify customers who swap files without respecting copyright restrictions. For the first year, rights-holders such as studios or labels could only threaten legal action. But by mid-2011, they could force the providers to kick repeat offenders off the Internet.

The British announcement follows French proposals to disconnect illegal file sharers. Last month France's lower house of parliament approved a bill that would allow authorities to cut off Internet access to people who download illegally, an attention-grabbing measure that has been hailed by the music and film industries.