Persistent illegal file-sharers should be disconnected from the internet, a group of UK media companies and lobby groups have told the government.

The proposals were put forward during the Future of the Creative Economy conference in London where industry leaders called for tougher action against online pirates including forcing ISPs to disconnect repeat offenders.

The call from groups such as the UK Film Council, the Federation Against Copyright Theft, the Publishers' Association and the British Phonograph Industry, comes as Lord Carter puts the finishing touches to his final Digital Britain report. The report will outline radical measures to address some of the key copyright concerns in the internet age, such as creating a Rights Agency, backed by media regulator Ofcom, which would bring ISPs and media owners together to fight illegal peer-to-peer sharing of music, films and software.

"The growing threat of illegal P2P (peer to peer) file-sharing threatens [the creative industries], as films go unmade, DVD sales deteriorate and jobs are lost in production and distribution of content," said John Woodward, head of the UK Film Council.

Leaders from the creative industries argue that many jobs in the 800,000-strong sectors of film, TV, music, and software are threatened by illegal file-sharing, which accounts for 50% of all internet traffic in the UK.

However ISP's say that proposals to disconnect users are too draconian and could easily be challenged in court - particularly because technology available for monitoring and detecting illegal sharers is not of a standard "where they would be admissible as evidence in court."

"There is a problem with unlawful P2P file sharing, but it is important to recognise that a major part of the solution lies in licensing reform and the availability of legal content online," said a statement from the Internet Service Providers Association - the trade body that represents ISPs.

In 2008 the UK government mediated a memorandum of understanding between ISPs and copyright owners to take concrete steps to curb illegal downloads, such as issuing warnings to illegal file sharers. But the government stopped short of forcing ISPs to disconnect repeat offenders as demanded by industry lobbyists.

A bill currently under-review in the French parliament is the first such legislation in Europe which will disconnect illegal file-sharers after two warnings if it is passed.
                                                                                                     SOURCE:AGIPNEWS