Thread: FOX: Repeat File Sharers Should Have Internet Cut

Fox Filmed Entertainment's CEO wants the U.S. government to copy France and disconnect
repeat file-sharers.
Jim Gianopulos, the CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment, said earlier today in Athens that he wants the U.S. government to adopt the same file-sharing policy currently used by France. This would mean that repeat offenders--those who insist on downloading copyright-protected films despite warnings and/or throttling--would see a permanent disconnection from the Internet.



According to Gianopulos (via the Press Association), Internet piracy is the biggest threat to the film industry worldwide, and the independent filmmakers receive the biggest hit in the wallet. Unfortunately, the Internet is not only huge, but it's "anonymous," making it difficult to derail piracy entirely. But at least there's some hope: ISPs can track down offending IPs and send subscribers warnings.



Still, it's the repeat offenders that pose the biggest threat. Punishing these file-sharers with a swift, heavy hand could help create a "level playing field" for filmmakers, he said. "If we can do that, it would be a big victory against piracy," he added. Information is also a big factor in the fight against piracy, showing that it drains the pockets of those who created the material, thus affecting jobs and families.

While that may be the case, the reasoning behind why consumers share files rarely is discussed. Perhaps if the movie industry actually lowered the prices of films, theaters could reduce the cost of admission. If consumers could actually afford to see a movie, perhaps then they would be least likely to hunt it down on torrents. Piracy is bad, but gouging the consumer is even worse.

source : softarchive.net

I don't see how this would help them. I still goto cinemas, and just download for collection, if I cannot download, I wouldn't spend 30 bucks on a DVD whatsoever. Plus, there are VPN, seedboxes etc to hide yourself, or we can shift to usenet etc.

That's true but IMO we are more of the minority amongst file sharers, we are the type of people who will manage to get content for free no matter what. I think if the industry want to be successful in minimizing file sharing they need to not only make their own content much cheaper but also easier to acquire than the illegal methods we have at the moment.