Japanese ISPs to start policing P2P, Winny users

The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reports four of the country's major ISP collectives will forcibly cut Internet access to users who are caught using peer-to-peer technology, which they suspect is used mainly for unlicensed file-sharing.

The Telecom Service Association and Telecommunications Carriers Association are two of the four groups overseeing more than 1,000 ISPs in Japan. In theory, ISPs would receive the IP addresses of repeat offenders caught downloading and/or uploading copyrighted material. Each ISP would then be responsible for e-mailing the alleged offenders, warning them their Internet service could be cut if they do not stop file sharing.

Rough estimates place the number of file sharers in Japan somewhere near 1.75 million, with the majority using Winny. That notorious program was apparently intentionally designed to aid anonymous users in trading in unlicensed files, and in 2004, suspicion to that end landed the program's creator Isamu Kaneko briefly behind bars. Eventually, he and his colleagues were found guilty of copyright infringement, though they were find the equivalent of about $13,500.

Japanese officials have previously considered temporarily cutting Internet service for those found to be participating in copyright infringement, though such drastic measures have never yet been taken, due supposedly to possible privacy rights violations. An unnamed Japanese ISP wanted to disconnect several file sharers in 2006, but the Japanese government warned it may violate user privacy if the ISP followed through.

The ISP organizations plan to hold a panel next month with the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers, Association of Copyright for Computer Software, and other copyright organizations. The main topic of discussion will be a draft outline on how and when to disconnect Internet users found to be repeat copyright infringers.

ISPs have elected to cut Internet service to alleged file sharers in part from growing pressure by industry trade groups representing the movie and record studios.

The idea of cutting Internet service to file sharers first started in the United States before spreading to Europe, and now Asia. French President Nicolas Sarkozy reportedly considered banning all repeat French file sharers last year, but Sarkozy never pressed the issue.