That was the suggestion made from Intellectual Property Minister David Lammy (pictured), who told British national paper The Times that such a ruling would be hindered by legal complexities. “I'm not sure it's actually going to be possible,” he said.
Lammy’s comments come ahead of the Government’s Digital Britain report, a document that will detail suggested policies for the Cabinet to take on a number of issues, including illicit filesharing.
Edge’s coverage on the upcoming Digital Britain interim report showed the extent in which Internet Service Providers are against enforced monitoring of suspect users. The DB report was expected to move this idea forward (after details of the upcoming report were, ironically, leaked to the FT), while also setting up a Rights Agency which would monitor and aid ISPs in locating suspected filesharers.
At the time a BERR spokesperson told Edge: “The interim report is still in the early stages of drafting. Anything the Financial Times may have seen or heard does not reflect Government policy at this stage. We're still considering a range of options to deal with illicit file-sharing and will set out the next steps before the end of the month.”
It is now said that the policy of a Rights Agency is less likely to emerge from the document, with The Times citing anonymous sources who claim that some options may have fallen out of favour.
Though last year the Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said that Government had “serious legislative intent” to enforce ISPs cut off illicit filesharers, today Lammy suggested otherwise. “We can't have a system where we're talking about arresting teenagers in their bedrooms. People can rent a room in a hotel and leave with a bar of soap - there's a big difference between leaving with a bar of soap and leaving with the television.”
Lammy’s comments have demonstrated the opposing views of both ISPs and rights holders. British Telecom says that “we're still hopeful that an amicable solution, without the need for legislation, can be reached. It doesn't make sense to try to get people online and at the same time scare them away”, while an unnamed music industry figure responded to Lammy comments from a different angle: “The relative cost of stealing a bar of soap from a hotel might be small, but if it came to seven million people nicking the soap each year, which is what we have in the music industry, I'm sure that hotel chain would do something about it.”
Picture courtesy of David Lammy's website.