UK 'piracy' warning letters postponed until 2015

[dutchman]

Proposals to send out warning letters to UK internet users who commit piracy offences have been delayed until late 2015.



The government planned to implement the policy under the terms of the 2010 Digital Economy Act, but has now chosen to postpone the measures, BBC News reports.

The news comes as a setback from copyright holders, who are taking increasingly-aggressive means of clamping down on internet piracy, such as coercing service providers to block the IP addresses of offending websites.

However, the Internet Service Providers' Association (Ispa) claim that the latest setback was expected.

"The continued delay of the Digital Economy Act again shows, as Ispa argued at the time, that the legislation was rushed through without sufficient scrutiny," it said in a statement.

"To most effectively tackle the issue of online copyright infringement, Ispa maintains the content industry needs to continue to innovate to fully embrace the benefits the internet affords though fully licensed and user-friendly services."

The coalition originally planned to launch the warning system in 2011, only for it to be pegged back by numerous delays and legal red tape.

Other countries deal with piracy in a similar manner, with the US operating a six-strike system and New Zealand users receiving three letters before legal action is pursued.