Virgin Media (NSDQ: VMED) may be ready to tow the BPI’s three-strikes line to warn, then disconnect illegal music downloaders – not so Carphone Warehouse. In a scathing letter, CEO Charles Dunstone writes it’s his role as an ISP “to protect the rights of our users to use the internet as they choose” (via PC Pro): “The music industry has consistently failed to adapt to changes in technology and now seeks to foist their problems on someone else. I cannot foresee any circumstances in which we would voluntarily disconnect a customer’s account on the basis of a third party alleging a wrongdoing.”
More amusingly, Dunstone tells Rory: “They’ve sent us the most unbelievably rude letter.” Carphone Warehouse runs its own TalkTalk ISP and owns AOL’s (NYSE: TWX) ISP business. BPI’s response: “TalkTalk either seek to misrepresent our position or just doesn’t get it.” Ah, the “you just don’t get it” put-down… not quite a diplomatic way to win over one of the UK’s top access networks.
The music biz proposed the move in the New Year after it was instituted by France in the autumn. Now it seems to have UK government backing as an alternative to enforced legislation, which has been threatened if ISPs and labels can’t agree a voluntary solution by next April. Tiscali’s talks with the BPI broke down in February but Virgin Media told us Monday it is talking with the BPI about trialling the scheme, under which law-breaking customers would be identified by the music body and have their info passed to the ISP to be sent a warning.