Cox Refuses to Spy on Subscribers to Catch Pirates by Ernesto Van der Sar.
From the post:
Last December a Virginia federal jury ruled that Internet provider Cox Communications was responsible for the copyright infringements of its subscribers.
The ISP was found guilty of willful contributory copyright infringement and must pay music publisher BMG Rights Management $25 million in damages.
The verdict was a massive victory for the music company and a disaster for Cox, but the case is not closed yet.
A few weeks ago BMG asked the court to issue a permanent injunction against Cox Communications, requiring the Internet provider to terminate the accounts of pirating subscribers and share their details with the copyright holder.
In addition BMG wants the Internet provider to take further action to prevent infringements on its network. While the company remained vague on the specifics, it mentioned the option of using invasive deep packet inspection technology.
Last Friday, Cox filed a reply pointing out why BMG’s demands go too far, rejecting the suggestion of broad spying and account termination without due process.
“To the extent the injunction requires either termination or surveillance, it imposes undue hardships on Cox, both because the order is vague and because it imposes disproportionate, intrusive, and punitive measures against households and businesses with no due process,” Cox writes (pdf).
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Read the rest of Ernesto’s post for sure but here’s a quick summary:
Cox.com is spending money to protect your privacy.
I don’t live in a Cox service area but if you do, sign up with Cox and say their opposition to BMG is driving your new subscription. Positive support always rings louder than protesters with signs and litter.
BMG.com is spending money to violate your privacy.
BMG is a subsidiary of Bertelsmann, which claims 112,037 employees.
I wonder how many of those employees have signed off on the overreaching and abusive positions of BMG?
Perhaps members of the public oppressed by BMG and/or Bertelsmann should seek them out to reason with them.
Bearing in mind that “rights” depend upon rules you choose to govern your discussions/actions.