[IP] upon suspicion .. Verizon to Police Web Customers To Protect Disney From Piracy -- a response from Dan Bricklin
Begin forwarded message:
From: Tim Onosko <onosko@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: September 25, 2005 9:51:53 AM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [IP] Verizon to Police Web Customers To Protect Disney
From Piracy -- a response from Dan Bricklin
Reply-To: tim@xxxxxxxxxx
Here is the actual text from Verizon's press release about their
agreement with Disney. I don't know how much clearer this can be.
"Under the agreement, Verizon would forward and track notices to its
subscribers allegedly engaged in the unauthorized distribution of
Disney' s copyrighted works, without identifying the subscribers to
Disney, and either provide subscriber identifying information
pursuant to lawfully served subpoenas or terminate Verizon Internet
service provided to subscribers who have infringed Disney copyrights
and received multiple notices."
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/
story/09-21-2005/0004112313&EDATE=
I think this makes it quite clear that Verizon will actively police
its traffic for copyright violations, through whatever means it has,
on Disney's behalf. And that, regardless of its past policy of
resisting attempts to obtain subscriber information and identities
via subpoena, this agreement changes that.
This paragraph, as I read it, also says Verizon may terminate your
service based on suspicion or allegation that you have infringed upon
Disney's copyrights, not actual proof as determined by a third party
such as a court of law. (How do you get your "member in good
standing back, or your service restored?) Moreover, if Verizon does
not monitor this traffic or continues to resist such subpoenas, it
will not be in compliance with this agreement, and may lose the right
to carry Disney's content on its fiber cable systems.
I don't know how anyone can read this sideways, or think that this
agreement is insignificant. In my opinion, it is quite significant
and may stand a chance of becoming boilerplate in future agreements
between carriers and content providers.
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