Verizon To Throttle Repeat BitTorrent Offenders

In a couple weeks, the Center for Copyright Information's anti-piracy system will go into effect in the US. The CCI is composed of five major Internet providers, including Verizon, in conjunction with the MPAA and the RIAA. Back in October, we reported on a leaked AT&T memo that discussed how the provider would deal with copyright infringers. Now information has been revealed stating that Verizon will deal with the issue by throttling the speeds of repeat offenders.

During the New York Chapter of the Internet Society panel discussion, both Verizon and Time Warner discussed their plans for dealing with piracy. Verizon customers will receive an email notification when their account is flagged for copyright-violating activities. A total of two alerts will be issued.

Upon receiving a third flag, a popup will appear that forces the subscriber to read a notice and confirm that they acknowledge the copyright infringement. If the illegal activity continues, a punishment will be enacted for the 5th and 6th flags. The user's Internet speeds will be severely throttled for a period of two or three days, at which point it will return to normal.

As for Time Warner, the company will likewise deliver notifications when the account is flagged for copyright violations. Rather than reduce speeds for repeat offenders, however, the users will be redirected to a landing page. No word was given on whether all Internet activity will be redirected, or only some, and how long the punishment will be in place for. According to CCI, the purpose of these punishments is to educate the public on the issue of piracy.

[via Torrent Freak]