As copyright groups turn towards ISPs to send out warning letters to alleged music and movie pirates, a recent legal study finds that the letters aren't enough to convince them to stop sharing files.
Just 33 percent of participants surveyed said they'd be willing to stop pirating content if they received a letter from their ISP. Almost 80 percent of people would be willing to stop pirating copyrighted material if they received a letter and had Internet service cut.
"A letter would not be enough," Wiggin technology partner Alexander Ross told BBC. "It does take an ultimate sanction" before file sharers will stop sharing files.
The final version of the digital media habits report, including the study carried out by Wiggin, will be sent to UK government officials sometime next week.
I found this to be an interesting study because the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said it has left behind sending out John Doe lawsuits in favor of getting ISPs to distribute letters to alleged pirates. Instead of being in a handful of unlucky people being sued for a couple thousand dollars, sending out letters and cutting service opens up the door for the RIAA to punish a much larger amount of people with less public outrage and backlash.
Several nations -- including the US, UK, France, and other European countries -- hope to experiment with eliminating Internet access for accused file sharers.
If you received just a warning letter, would you be willing to stop sharing files?
