In a week where the publishers of traditional and e-books are beginning to feel the impact of the pirates it is worth considering briefly how anti-piracy legislation is shaping up.
The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act in the USA which will hopefully be coming into law shortly is much more direct than the fudged legislation over in the UK.
In addition it contains a key additional area of liability - the financial transaction provider. In addition to considering the ISP this also looks at the payment gateway and any provider of display advertising - where the pirates secure the revenue.
Since a recent survey showed that 23.8% of internet traffic is copyright infringing (source: Envisional / NBCU) much of the display advertising is supporting the pirate ecosystem.
Whether brands and ad networks who have / are supporting pirate content end up attracting significant liability remains to be seen.
The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act in the USA which will hopefully be coming into law shortly is much more direct than the fudged legislation over in the UK.
In addition it contains a key additional area of liability - the financial transaction provider. In addition to considering the ISP this also looks at the payment gateway and any provider of display advertising - where the pirates secure the revenue.
Since a recent survey showed that 23.8% of internet traffic is copyright infringing (source: Envisional / NBCU) much of the display advertising is supporting the pirate ecosystem.
Whether brands and ad networks who have / are supporting pirate content end up attracting significant liability remains to be seen.