US content makers, ISPs in pact to curb piracy

Americans who download music and movies 'illegally' through online sharing sites like BitTorrent and Limewire may soon be asked by their internet service provider to stop doing so.

If a user fails to stop this practice after about half-a-dozen warnings, the ISP may slow his or her services to a crawl – stopping just short of blocking internet access.

The deal, negotiated over four years of bargaining between those who make some of the most desirable internet content and those who deliver it to consumers, will see five of the largest internet access companies - including AT&T, Verizon, Cablevision, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable – participating in this latest crackdown on internet piracy.

The two sides – Hollywood and record labels against ISPs - had been at loggerheads; an antagonism stressed by recent lawsuits against some internet access providers, which are generally reluctant to monitor content.

Service providers could see reduced costs if fewer films are downloaded via peer-to-peer networks. They may also have lower help-desk demand, as many consumers accidentally infect their computers with viruses concealed in pirated content.

Observers also feel that ISPs are increasingly moving toward value-added content, and hence have a new-found interest in supporting producers.