ISP Copyright Alert System Launching in Matter of Weeks

The Copyright Alert System (CAS), which will police illegal downloading, will “ begin in the coming weeks,” says the Center for Copyright Information (CCI).
The CAS, which was first announced last July, will provide a standardized approach that all ISPs will use. Under the system, AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner, Verizon and other Internet service providers send a succession of warnings to users who allegedly share copyrighted files through peer-to-peer networks. If users continue to download illegally, ISPs will introduce “mitigation measures.”
Those measures will differ from ISP to ISP. Although most ISPs have yet to reveal specifics, TorrentFreak reported that AT&T intends to punish users who receive a fifth and sixth alert by sending them to an educational page. To revoke access denial, AT&T customers must complete an “online education tutorial on copyright.”
A temporary slow-down of Internet access speed is another, potential punishment, CCI executive director Jill Lesser wrote in a  recent blog post.
Despite worries to the contrary, “termination of a consumer’s Internet service is not a part of any ISP’s Copyright Alert System program,” Lesser wrote.
“This is not a ‘six-strikes-and-you’re-out’ system that would result in termination.  There’s no ‘strikeout’ in this program.”
Rather, the series of alerts is intended not only to make consumers conscious of illegal Internet activity connected to their accounts, but to offer information on how such activity can be prevented and provide information on accessing digital content legally, Lesser said.
In preparation for rolling out the CAS system, the CCI polled consumers about their views on copyright and accessing content online. Consumers, she said, responded by asking for more guidance on Internet copyright infringement.
“We understand that it is not always clear on the Web what is legal and what is not, so one important goal of the CAS is to explain these rules for consumers and provide resources, including a soon-to-be launched enhanced CCI website, to help consumers find legitimate services to access the content they want.”
To ensure the system is fair, Lesser said, the organization hired tech expert Stroz Friedberg to review the MarkMonitor system that is used to detect incidents of illegal downloading.
The system will allow consumers to seek review of alerts they deem to be errors. Under the system, which the American Arbitration Association (AAA) will operate, consumers can ask “a trained, impartial professional” to review an alert.