After months of delay, the “Copyright Alert System,” (also known as “six strikes”) is ready for its “implementation phase.” Participating ISPs will be rolling out the system “over the course of the next several days.”
As we’ve reported previously, six strikes was conceived of by Center for Copyright Information (CCI)—an umbrella group representing major ISPs across the US and representatives from the recording and film industries. The group agreed in 2011 to come up with a six-stage warning scheme that would progressively warn—and eventually penalize—alleged online copyright infringers.
I don’t support piracy, but what bothers me about this is that it will be ineffective and stopping piracy, but it will likely be a nuisance for regular people. So far as I can tell, all that it takes to get a warning is an allegation or accusation. And to dispute a claim costs money. Whereas it costs content owners zero dollars to make an accusation, and even bogus ones are free. But if you want to dispute a claim, you have to pay money.
Instead of focusing on piracy and treating end users like garbage, how about if content makers simply focus on making great content that people want to pay for? You are never going to stop pirates from pirating, but you can make people want to pay you. There are certain things in my life that I think are so good, I want to spend my money on them. Apps, music, movies etc. I think a lot of people work the same way, even if they aren’t as self conscious about it as I am. If they like something, they are inclined to spend money on it. This is free market 101. Stop spending boatloads of money on ineffective prevention and focus on pleasing the customer. Is that too much to ask?