According to the Center for Copyright Information, the controversial "Copyright Alert System" will hit the U.S. within weeks. A blog post by Jill Lesser, executive director of the Center for Copyright Information, revealed the long-awaited Copyright Alert System (CAS) will begin "in the coming weeks" and provided some details about the partnership with ISPs to deter subscribers from infringement over peer-to-peer networks.
AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon are all participating, and will roll out their responses over the next two months. The so-called Copyright Alert System varies by ISP, but calls for gradually more severe responses to each infringement, starting with emailed warnings and escalating to throttled data speeds or temporary suspension of service.
However, offenders can request a review of their network activity by paying a $35 billing fee. If the offender is found not guilty, the $35 will be refunded. The Copyright Alert System is able to detect illegally downloaded material through MarkMonitor, which is a brand protection company. Neither the Center for Copyright Information nor MarkMonitor are able to obtain personal customer information.
The organization said it is "designed to make consumers aware of activity that has occurred using their Internet accounts, educate them on how they can prevent such activity from happening again, and provide information about the growing number of ways to access digital content legally."
"Contrary to many erroneous reports, this is not a 'six-strikes-and-you're-out' system that would result in termination," the group said in a press release. "There's no 'strikeout' in this program." Still, neither the Center for neither Copyright Infringement nor ISPs have spelled out what happens if people continue to download or share pirated files, even after six warnings.
