Verizon to forward RIAA letters to subscribers

Verizon will now reportedly forward copyright violation notices issued by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to subscribers accused of copyright infringement.

Verizon's decision will likely be met with some resistance, even though the notices instruct subscribers to delete all pirated content from their hard drives.  The company won't turn over subscriber names accused of pirating music and other copyrighted material, but only pass on warning letters.

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The unconfirmed reports hit the news wire by anonymous sources who said the Verizon tests will begin on Thursday.  The RIAA finally persuading Verizon to begin sending out notice letters is a significant victory for the music industry, as Verizon has been reluctant to get involved in the RIAA's business.
lawsuit-cash-advance-gavel-money"We recognize the importance of copyright and the need to enforce those copyrights," a Verizon spokesperson informed CNET.  "Without that enforcement, intellectual property won't be generated at all.  At the same time, it's important for our customers to be assured that they won't have their privacy rights trampled."

Comcast, AT&T and other ISPs already send out similar notices to subscribers, and although subscribers are not happy with it, they've remained relatively quiet about the issue.  It seems there has been an unofficial truce among ISPs and subscribers as long as no personal information is shared with the RIAA.

Even though Internet users in France and the U.K. face possible ISP banishment for repeat file sharing cases, the RIAA has instead issued thousands of John Doe lawsuits to accused file sharers.

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