London – Following the
approval of a Digital Economy bill in Britain that would implement a "three-strikes"
policy where repeat file-swappers see their Internet connections suspended, at
least one ISP — Talk Talk — said it would defy any order to disconnect its
customers. In a blog post, Talk Talk’s Andrew Heaney stated that the company won’t
hand over customer data to copyright holders "unless we are served with a
court order," adding that, "if we are instructed to disconnect an
account due to alleged copyright infringement we will refuse to do so and tell
the rightsholders we’ll see them in court."

The controversial Digital
Economy Bill will see copyright holders and ISPs collaborating to target
unauthorized file-sharing, with ISPs forwarding warning letters from copyright
holders to subscribers suspected of copyright infringement.

While the bill as
passed does not include language regarding permanent disconnection of a
subscribers’ connection, after repeated warnings the subscriber’s connection
could be slowed, or temporarily suspended.

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/vcrm4
(Talk Talk blog)

http://snipurl.com/vcsy6
(DMW previous coverage)

http://www.dontdisconnect.us