INTERNET users who download illegal copies of the latest movies and television shows could get warning letters in the mail.
The film production industry is pressuring Australian internet providers to start sending "we know what you're doing"-type letters to customers who are tracked downloading copyright content, warning them they face disconnection or even legal action if they continue.
The
Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft, an industry body, has long wanted internet providers to clamp down on illegal downloads, but has renewed its call after a recent preliminary agreement in Britain between studios, internet providers and the Government for greater intervention.
The federation's last study, in 2005, found piracy cost the industry $250 million a year, but executive director Adrianne Pecotic said the figure was likely to be much higher now because of the increased penetration of broadband.
She said a trial of a "graduated response" policy in the United States, involving internet providers contacting customers suspected of piracy, resulted in nine out of 10 users stopping illegal file sharing after their first warning.
The federation wants a voluntary agreement with the internet providers — so it can devote its time to prosecuting those involved in selling pirated content — but the head of Australia's dominant internet provider, Telstra BigPond, said it was essential that police led any piracy targeting process.
"We want to play our part but in order to have a democratic society … you need laws on one hand and law enforcement on the other hand," BigPond group managing director Justin Milne said.
Ms Pecotic said there was no legal impediment for internet providers to support the policy, because most internet usage contracts stipulate customers cannot use the service for illegal purposes.
By Jesse Hogan