Japanese ISPs Look to Ban Pirates

In response to mounting pressure from the movie, music and software industries, four major Japanese ISPs have agreed to work together to purge copyright infringing file-sharers from their networks, according to TorrentFreak.

Copyright holders would use “special detection software” to sniff out online pirates and then notify the ISPs. Punishment is reminiscent of high school with ISPs first emailing a warning, then interrupting service if that doesn’t work, and finally, chronic violators would get expelled from the service. The ISPs are convening in April to figure out exactly how the new policy would operate.

The crusade against file sharers isn’t just limited to Japan; similar proposals have been floated in France, the UK and Australia.